The Caverns of Perdition
by Dengirl
Summary: The Doctor may no longer want to end his life, but its still the bottom of a very steep slope...and there's something lurking under their feet, that may undo it all.
1. Chapter 1

**_Perdition: Hades, total loss, damage, bereavement._**

Ash was nervous, why the hell should he nervous. It had been four months since he'd woken up in the hospital and the Doctor had been locked away in Torchwood. He hadn't been allowed to see him, but his time had been taken up by rehab and looking after James and Jakaar.

He still had no memory of what had happened after he'd confronted the Doctor on that ship, and then waking up in the hospital. He was sure the Doctor knew; but he doubted he would ever tell him.

Although he hadn't seen the Doctor, he'd kept up with his progress.

It had been a steep slope and he was still climbing. The bad days had been really bad, with the Doctor refusing to eat, and spitting out any tablets they had tried to give him. But gradually, the good days outnumbered the bad, and today he was going to see him.

He stopped at the door to the Hub and tried to settle his nerves. The door seemed to take forever; but he was glad of it.

It was Gwen who spotted him first.

"Ash, how are you?" she said as she hugged him.

"Nervous as hell," he replied.

She pulled away and smiled, "Nothing wrong with that."

"How is he today?"

"He's okay, just don't expect him to be overjoyed to see you. His meds are really affecting him."

Ash sighed and took in and let out a breath.

"Where is he?"

"The kitchen with Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh. It's good to see you."

He smiled and then made his way to the kitchen, and right into an argument.

* * *

"You have to take these," Martha was saying.

"They make me throw-up," the Doctor said back.

"Only because you don't take them with food."

"Don't eat breakfast," the Doctor retorted.

"Listen," the reasonable voice of Doctor Stoneleigh interrupted. "I know you eat breakfast…so, how about you choose what you want, instead of what we give you. That way you can take the tablet, and everyone's happy."

"I suppose," the Doctor said.

Ash chose to speak then, "Still causing trouble then."

Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh excused themselves and left him alone with the Doctor. He didn't sit down, but hung nervously by the door.

"Sit down, for Rassilon's sake," the Doctor said, and Ash noticed the irritation in his voice.

"You should take your meds," he said.

That earned him a sour look.

"Your leg has healed well," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, the bullet went clean through."

"Nasty things, bullets."

Ash knew they were both dancing around the real subject, then the Doctor said.

"How are the boys?"

And here we go, Ash thought.

"They're good, James is growing."

"And Jakaar, is he in school?"

Careful now, Ash though; the Doctor may be on medication, but he'd been told his moods were still unpredictable.

"He's having private tutoring."

"Not interested in human education," the Doctor growled. "His Time Lord education."

Now he had to be really careful; he sensed this could go south very quickly.

"I try, but…."

"You're not a Time Lord," the Doctor snarled, scraping his chair back as he stood.

Ash had to try and rescue this and quickly, "I'm sure if you ask Jack."

"Ask Jack!"

The Doctor was shouting now, "Do I have to ask him if I can educate my own son!"

Ash was about to get up when the Doctor suddenly leant against the work –surface; hand at the back of his neck and let out a low groan.

"Martha!" Ash called.

She responded quickly and went straight to the Doctor.

"You need to calm down," she was saying.

The Doctor said something in his own language. His words were cut off by a cry of pain. He would have gone to the floor if Ash hadn't been quick and caught him.

"Med-bay," Martha said.

"What the hell was that?" Ash asked as he laid the Doctor down

"We think it's some kind of fit. I should have seen it coming. It starts with him being recalcitrant, then aggressive, and he reverts to speaking Gallifreyan. Then he has the pain at the base of his skull and blacks out."

Ash sat next to the Doctor and brushed a stay lock of hair from his forehead.

"The fits…what if….?"

"There's no tumour or lesions. Doctor Stoneleigh thinks it's part of his disorder. It tends to happen when he's stressed."

"Is he really getting better?"

"Its early days, Ash. You have to treat a mental disorder carefully. I have to go and get his meds. He'll be confused when he wakes up, can you stay with him?"

Ash nodded…this wasn't how he thought seeing the Doctor for the first time in four months would go.

* * *

Ever since he'd decided he didn't want to die, the Doctor's life had fallen into a routine. By day, he had the relative freedom of the Hub, and plenty to occupy his mind.

But at night, locked in his cell, the demons would return. He screamed a cried into the small hours, and only the drugged-hazed sleep brought on by serum Five would ease his terror.

As a result, his temper was short and he started to become un-communicative; refusing to eat and take his medication. For a while he'd refused to come out of his cell, his demons whispering words of distrust.

Then there had come a saviour…his TARDIS. She sang to him, chasing the demons to the back of his mind. When the voices plagued his sleep, he listened to her songs, and he finally found a little peace.

Then he'd been told he would not be able to see his sons, and on top of that, Ash was coming, and not even her songs gave him any solace.

He sat at the table and refused to eat or take his meds, and the voices of Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh were beginning to grate. The voices began to clamour for attention, and it felt like they were going to burst out of his skull.

As Ash sat down opposite him, he felt the pain at the base of his skull…please no. When Ash had told him that Jakaar wasn't getting his Time Lord education, the pain exploded. After that, it was nothing but blinding pain and then welcome darkness.

He groaned into waking, and was glad the voices had receded; but his head hurt like hell.

"Doctor," Ash's voice cut through his pain, and he was happy to hear it.

"Hello," he said and winced when another spike of pain bit.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Headache."

"Martha's gone to get your meds."

Ash was siting out of his line of sight, "Can't see you."

There was the sound of a chair moving and Ash's face appeared; his face set in a frown.

"You'll get lines," he said and forced a smile, until another stab of pain hit.

"Easy," Ash said and smiled back.

"That's better," he said, then closed his eyes as the pain took hold again. He thanked Martha silently as the painkillers kicked in, and he dropped into a pain free sleep.

* * *

Jack had wanted to be there when Ash met that Doctor, but he was on a far less pleasant task, and had missed it. He'd been called in by someone in the Home Office, to help with a series of gruesome and unexplainable murders.

Whoever the killer was, they weren't picky…age, sex, race, height, no victim had any similarities. As he looked at the pictures, it was obvious the killer didn't see their victim as human.

There wasn't much he could tell from the picture, or the remains; what was left of them. But what he did notice was a trail of some kind of residue, and he hated to think it, but he needed a fresh killing to get a closer look.

"Captain Harkness," someone called. "There's another body."

The body of an elderly man was displayed like some sick mannequin on the wire fencing. Jack had seen a lot of death, but it still turned his stomach.

He looked around and saw the same residue, a sticky trail leading away from the body. He crouched down to take a closer look….Jesus, it stank.

He took out an evidence bag and a test-tube, and scraped some of into the tube.

"Found something?" the lead detective said.

DI Speakeman was a good detective, but he knew when he was out of his depth, and didn't resent Jack's presence.

"Some sort of liquid, our lab can analyse is quicker than yours. I don't think there's a lot I can do here."

"True, unfortunately. I appreciate your help. I will of course contact you if we find another victim. And thank you for your help with the press."

"No problem, we will catch him."

He arrived at the Hub, tired and still sick from the kill sight, and that stuff still stank…whatever it was.

But his spirits were lifted when he saw Ash and the Doctor sitting together on the couch; they looked comfortable together.

He would have to ask Martha what had gone on.

He didn't disturb them and went down to the labs. He emptied the test-tube into the analyser; it was really stinking now.

A few moments later he heard startled voices and the sound of hurried footsteps. He was startled to see the Doctor at the lab door, an unhappy look on his face.

"Captain, where did you get Lakesh pheromones!?"


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Doctor is still not in love with humanity, and Jack does something he hopes doesn't explode in his face._**

_**Perdition- cost, damage, the abyss**_

Josie knew she should have left on time, and not stay for that last drink. Now she'd missed the last bus.

"Just wonderful," she said to herself.

Now she was having to walk home; not an inviting prospect at this time of night. She stuck to the well-lit paths, she wasn't stupid. But she did have to walk past the half-built houses that led to her home.

She hurried along the path, but as she passed a barricaded and board covered drain, she heard a noise and she stopped and looked round. She started to walk again, then there came that smell; it smelt like candy-floss, and it drew her towards the barrier.

A memory came to her of childhood holidays, memories of digging holes in the sand and then standing in them. She moved the barrier and the board; it was the last thing she did, as something wrapped itself around her and she was gone.

* * *

The Doctor was sitting with Ash, letting his words wash over him. He was tired, and his headache had returned; he just wanted to sleep.

He didn't take any notice of the Hub door opening, although the voices were urging him to seize the chance and run. He didn't look to see who it was, he could sense them; his stomach roiling at Harkness' presence.

He refused to use his name….they were not friends.

Then he thought he was having an olfactory hallucination, when a stench so singularly unique hit him. He ignored it and tried to focus on the banal words that Ash was speaking. But the smell was getting stronger, and he couldn't ignore it anymore

There shouldn't one of them on Earth, perhaps in his tired state he was misreading the odour.

Then the smell became almost over-powering and he reacted. He stood, spilling the tea he was holding.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed as hot liquid hit him.

The Doctor ignored him, now fixated on the smell; if there was one of them inside Torchwood.

He sniffed the air and the hairs on the back of his neck rose; the smell was getting stronger…and it was coming from downstairs.

He ran down the stairs, closely followed by a concerned Ash, with Gwen and Ianto behind him. He could see no sign of it, but that smell was even stronger now.

He could see the captain in the laboratory, looking up and frowning at the commotion. He stopped at the door, and realising the smell was coming from here. There couldn't be one here because they were still alive, that meant only one thing.

"Lakesh pheromones, where did you get Lakesh pheromones?"

* * *

It took Jack a good ten minutes to restore order...well to calm the Doctor down.

"So…Lakesh, I've never heard of the Lakesh."

"They're not a race," the Doctor replied.

He was still twitchy and it was hard to get information out of him. Whatever these Lakesh were, it had agitated him; which was not a good thing.

"Then what are they?"

"What they are, are predators of the highest level, and they shouldn't be on Earth."

The Doctor stood and started heading for the exit.

"I need to stop it."

Jack moved in front of him, "Whoa there…you can't go outside."

The Doctor tried to get round him, but Jack moved with him. The Doctor tried again, and once again Jack got in his way.

Then the Doctor snarled at him…a threat if there ever was one.

"Let me pass," he growled.

Jack shook his head, "You know you can't."

The expression on the Doctor's face changed.

"Fine, let the Lakesh slaughter as many apes as it likes."

He sat down, crossed his arms; his whole body language saying 'see if I care.'

Jack looked at the others and they took the hint and moved away. He crouched down in front of the Doctor, who refused to look at him…Jesus, this was going to be difficult; he wasn't a psychologist.

"Doctor, you know you can't leave here, and despite that look, I know you care."

There was an awkward silence, then the Doctor said.

"Why should I care for a species that keeps me prisoner, and keep my children away from me?"

How the hell was he going to answer that?

"If I could, I'd let you go, but I can't."

The Doctor didn't answer and the look on his face told Jack that the conversation was over. He stood and looked at his watch.

"It's time for your meds."

He left the Doctor alone, and the Doctor didn't speak again; not even when it was time to be locked in his cell.

Eventually the Hub fell silent and only Jack was left on watch.

The phone ringing brought him out of the same nightmare.

"Captain Harkness, this is DI Speakeman, we have another victim."

Jack was now wide awake, that meant he would have to go to London. This time he would have to take his team…but who to leave behind to watch the Doctor.

As he showered and dressed, he realised the truth of it. If it was this Lakesh that was killing those people, then the Doctor was the expert. So he made a decision, and he would deal with consequences afterwards…he was going to take the Doctor with him.

* * *

"You're going to do what!?" Martha said.

"I'm taking the Doctor with us to London."

"That's just plain stupid," Ianto said. "He can't be trusted."

"Why?" Gwen asked the right question.

"Because he knows what killed those people. He smelt that stuff as soon as I walked in the door."

"So, you want to use like some kind of bloodhound," Ash said, and he didn't sound happy.

"No…he knows what to look for. The police won't be able to deal with it."

"For the record, Jack, this is going against my medical advice," Martha said.

"Noted, Doctor Jones," Jack said. "Ianto, go and get the tagging kit. I'm not stupid, he'll be tagged."

"That's if he lets you," Gwen said.

"Oh he will, he's itching to get out."

"And what about the Americans?" Ash said.

"We're not on US soil, and the Home Office never put any restriction on him. No more discussion, I don't want there be any more victims."

He took the kit off Ianto and said to Ianto and Ash, "You ready."

They walked into the cell area; causing the Doctor to move to the front of his cell, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

The journey to London was to say the least tense…yes the Doctor had been happy to escape the Hub, but he'd been less enamoured with the tag; they had to pin him down to tag him.

Since then he'd muttered away in every language bar human, and continuously scratched at the spot where the tag had been inserted, until Jack stopped the car on the motorway and handcuffed him to the roll bar.

* * *

DI Speakeman looked over when the two SUV's pulled up, bearing the strange logo that told him Captain Harkness had arrived. He raised his eyebrows in concern, when a man in handcuffs was pulled from one of them by Captain Harkness.

There was some kind of verbal exchange between the two men and the handcuffs were removed.

He was impressed by the captain's team, as they went about their work. He was with Captain Harkness and the man that had been handcuffed...the Doctor he'd called him.

The man was crouched down besides the latest victim, he was saying something, but he didn't understand it; and he swore he heard the Captain say, "Speak human."

The Doctor stood up then, looked around and walked off.

"Excuse me a minute," Captain Harkness said.

DI Speakeman had the feeling that this had just become something much more than a hunt for a serial killer.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Perdition- Pandemonium, Sheol, consumption**_

The Doctor had been happy to be out of his prison…yes, he viewed it as a prison, ever since he'd been told he would never have true freedom again. As he was pulled out of the SUV, the voices were urging him to run, and his headache still plagued him.

She was a pretty thing, by human standard, he supposed. She had hair the same colour that Ashena once had, but to compare her to his beautiful daughter….was insulting.

He must have been thinking aloud as he heard Harkness say' speak human."

He stood then and walked away; there was something about this kill site that wasn't right. He scanned the ground…that was it and that wasn't good; it meant the Lakesh had a leash. Then he heard Harkness' voice…the one that held his leash.

"Doctor, stop!" Harkness called, and with a sigh he stopped.

"She wasn't killed here," he said once Harkness had caught up.

"How do you know that?"

"There are no sewers or drains."

"Why is that important?"

"Lakesh are ambush predators, very much like the trapdoor spider. It likes to hide, not in earth of small holes, but in damp, dark places….like sewers. It lures its prey using its pheromones, an olfactory deception, drawing it closer…then."

He snapped his fingers.

He waited a few seconds to see if Harkness would get; but no.

"Lakesh devour their prey, it leaves nothing. A Lakesh is killing them, but not eating them."

Then Harkness seemed to get it, "Someone else put her there."

He almost said 'give the ape a banana' but he didn't.

"I need to see the files on the other bodies, and I want in on the autopsy on that," he said, pointing at the body as it was placed in a bag.

Harkness frowned, "That was a person."

"Was being the word," he replied.

Harkness grabbed his arm and pulled him round.

"That's cold."

"Is it, sorry Harkness, I'm only interested in the Lakesh, not what it eats."

He wrenched his arm away, "I'm done here." He walked towards the SUV and never looked back.

* * *

Jack watched the Doctor walk away and was already wondering if he'd made a mistake. Was the Doctor mentally stable enough for this? But what choice did he have; the Doctor was the best alien expert there was.

He watched the Doctor until he reached the SUV and leant against it, and looked completely dis-interested. He knew it was a risk, bring the Doctor here; if he wanted to escape, tag or not, he would.

"He's an odd one," DI Speakeman's voice startled him.

"That's one word for him."

"Captain Harkness, I need you to be honest with me. These murders…it's just, there are rumours."

Jack turned to the DI, "What rumours?"

"Your organisation, it doesn't deal with, shall we say human matters."

Jack considered his reply, "Well, the rumours are right. You're a smart man, you can see these murders aren't normal."

"So, the killer, is it alien?"

"Yes," Jack said.

"Right…are you alien too?"

Jack shook his head, and decided he might as well be honest.

"But he is," he said, nodding toward the Doctor.

The DI went up in his estimation, when he said.

"That's why he's a little odd. Makes sense, use an alien to catch an alien. So, he's some kind of alien policeman?"

"Not really, but let's keep this between you and me."

"Not a word, I can have those files ready for the briefing tomorrow, but the autopsy, no can do."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry about his attitude."

"No need, I've worked with worse. Tomorrow at ten then."

"Yes. Tomorrow."

* * *

Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh were preparing the Doctor's room at their London base.

"I hate this, "Martha said, "I feel like a prison guard. He's no better off here that he would be at Flat Holm."

"Martha, if he was at Flat Holm, I think he'd be worse, or Flat Holm would be razed to the ground by now," Doctor Stoneleigh replied.

Martha eyed the shackles he was arranging.

"I know, but he's still unstable. We need to be prepared, if he has a psychotic break, ordinary restraints won't hold him."

The sound of the SUV's pulling up stopped their conversation, and the first person through the door was the Doctor, and he went straight into the room.

Jack locked it and let out a long breath.

"Was he bad?" Martha said.

"He was cold, Martha, there wasn't a shred of emotion."

"It's a symptom of his illness," Doctor Stoneleigh said. "Emotional detachment, it makes them seem cold, when their really not."

"Did I make a mistake bringing him here?"

"I don't think you had a choice. If you had left him behind with one of us, who's to say he wouldn't have tried something," Martha said. "It is better he's here, even If I said different earlier."

Jack sat down; he looked tired…the last year, no the last two years had been hard on him. First thinking that the Doctor was dead, and then finding by some miracle he was alive. But then to find he was far worse than he'd been before his 'resurrection' had hurt him.

Now he had to deal with a mentally ill Time Lord and some kind of alien creature murdering people.

"Get some sleep, Doctor's orders," she said. "He's locked up and it's late."

* * *

The Doctor had been listening at the door; they would make a mistake sooner or later, the voices said to him, and this time he let them come forward.

There has to be a way out of here, the cold logical side said.

Yes, time to hunt, the uncontrolled side snarled….hunt the old enemy.

The Doctor moved to the wall…the wall didn't look right. He tapped it, he was right; they were false.

He continued tapping, the cold calculating part of him gauging the sound…stop, right here; the wall sounded hollow. He moved back towards the door and listened, there was no noise outside; they must have gone to their beds.

He smiled...good. He returned to the wall and put his hand through what was indeed a false wall, and beneath was his escape.

He smiled again, but this time it was the smile of a predator.

The window creaked slightly as he opened it, and he glanced at the door…no reaction. It was only a small drop to the ground and he was away.

But he didn't go far…only to the nearest man-hole cover that said sewerage. He lifted the heavy lid like it was made of plastic and let it go with a clang.

He dropped into the non-to pleasant smelling sewer, but he wasn't interested in that. He drew in a deep breath, sniffing the air.

"Oh…..I can smell you, and I know you can smell me," he hissed.

He looked down the dark tube, and he began walking…forgetting about Harkness, forgetting about the apes it had killed.

He was going to hunt the Lakesh and only one of them would emerge alive.


	4. Chapter 4

_**There are things in the sewers...**_

Ash woke suddenly, with the feeling that something wasn't right. He looked at his mobile; it was only two-thirty. He tried to go back to sleep, but that nagging feeling wasn't going away. He got up and hissed a little, as his leg reminded him that it was only just healed.

Nothing seemed out of place, the doors to the bedrooms were still close. He went downstairs and Jack was still asleep on the sofa. He looked at the door to the Doctor's room, and that feeling went off the scale.

He couldn't ignore it anymore, perhaps he should. Using the lock-picking skills that every detective picked up, he undid the door. He opened it slowly, just in case the Doctor was awake.

What he found was a damaged wall, a window that wasn't there before…and no Doctor…..oh crap.

You really should wake Jack, he said to himself as he stepped out into the street. Where the hell had the Doctor gone?

Once again he told himself he should wake Jack as he saw the open man-hole; he knew where the Doctor had gone. He ignored his sensible side that was shouting at him to wake Jack, and he dropped into the sewer.

He looked down at the floor of the sewer, trying not to see what was there and saw a set of footprints. He flicked on the torch that he always carried and began walking in the direction of the footprints.

"You really, really should have woken Jack," he said to himself, more to steady his nerves that any kind of regret at his actions.

He had absolutely no idea where he now was, and the scrabbling of what were no doubts rats echoed in the gloom of the sewer. He stopped suddenly when he thought he heard something….something that sounded out of place; not that he knew what sounded out of place in a sewer.

He carried on walking, his torchlight only illuminating a few feet ahead of himself. He stopped once again…that noise; it sounded like something slithering along the ground. He'd read those stories about snakes and things being flushed away, but he thought they were the stuff of those weird magazines he'd seen, and he had thought it was some kind of bad hoax.

Now he was standing in a sewer, listening to something that sounded like a very large snake coming towards him.

He went to take another step when a hand suddenly covered his mouth and he was dragged backwards, and the Doctor's voice hissing in his ear.

"Don't make a sound…don't even breath."

Ash nodded and then he felt the Doctor's body against his; then he felt him tense and he knew why, as that sound came nearer. Then he panicked when he realised his torch was still on, but that was forgotten when he saw something slither into the beam.

It was huge and it seemed to pulsate with something…and the stench…then it was gone, the sound receding as whatever it was slithered down the sewer.

It seemed like an eternity before the Doctor took his hand away from Ash's mouth, but before Ash could say anything the Doctor had spun him round and snarled.

"Go back to the surface."

Ash finally found his tongue, "What the hell….was that it….a Lakesh?"

"I said, go back to the surface."

Ash shone his torch on the Doctor and he almost stepped back in shock. The Doctor's eyes were wild and dilated, and he was covered in something that definitely wasn't normal sewer contents; it was blue and it was glowing, just like….had he had an encounter with this Lakesh already.

"Doctor, was that a Lakesh?"

He saw some of the wild look go from the Doctor's eyes, and they finally seemed to focus on him

"No, now go. I don't have time to baby-sit."

Ash shook his head, "I'm taking you back."

"Don't think so."

"Then I'm not leaving."

"Fine, but don't expect me to save you when something is slowly digesting you," the Doctor said, in a way too matter-of-fact voice.

The Doctor moved then and Ash had no choice but to follow him; even if he didn't want him here.

As they waked, he noticed the sewer was getting lighter, a blue glow was coming from the walls. He switched off the torch and he could see the Doctor ahead.

"How come…?"

"Bio-luminescence."

"That thing…the Lakesh did that?"

Without turning or stopping the Doctor said, "Not a Lakesh, someone's got themselves some dangerous pets."

"So, what was that?" Ash said.

"A snake," the Doctor said, and that was all the explanation he got.

He decided not to ask again, but said instead, "You know Jack's going to come after us."

"You mean this," the Doctor said and held up a bloody hand.

There was a small splash as something was dropped.

"You'll need to cover that," he said.

"I don't need your concern."

They went a bit further and then the Doctor stopped; they had reached a junction.

The luminous trail went down the right-hand sewer, but the Doctor didn't move. He looked to his left and then back down the sewer they had walked along; he sniffed the air, and let out what Ash could describes as an animalistic growl.

"Did it go down there?" Ash asked, looking down the illuminated sewer.

"Not interested in a snake," the Doctor said.

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing, "But that's a big-ass alien snake. You can't let it get away."

"You go after it then," the Doctor said and started walking down the left-hand sewer.

Ash began to wonder if there was more this, so he asked, "Why are you hunting this Lakesh if you don't care if it kills anyone?"

He wasn't expecting the Doctor to answer.

"Before we became more 'civilised'," and Ash could almost hear the sarcasm laced quotation marks.

"Before we became more civilised, and our people less introverted, we lived on other planets… the Lakesh hunted us as prey and we hunted the Lakesh."

So that was it, Jack had been right, he didn't care about the people it had killed or might kill. But was that due to his mental illness…or was he driven by something much more primitive?

Either way he had to stay with the Doctor; no matter what. The mobile in his pocket suddenly vibrated, it could only be Jack…so now he knew they were gone. He should really answer it, but instead he turned it off, and prayed he hadn't made a huge mistake.

* * *

Jack blinked awake, he'd slept too long. There was no movement from upstairs…and….crap, the door to the Doctor's room was open.

"Everybody up!" he yelled, and the sound of hurrying feet filled the air.

Ianto, Gwen, Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh appeared at the door to the now empty room.

"What the…?" Martha exclaimed.

"How the hell did he get out?" Ianto said.

"Not through the door," Jack said, pointing at to the window.

"There wasn't a widow…" Ianto started to say, but was cut off by Jack.

"Where's Ash?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure it was wise to release the serpent?"

"After the incident at the storage facility, it was necessary."

"It was awkward lying to that detective."

"We cannot afford unwanted attention, but I fear we may have to relocate anyway, it is getting harder to find suitable donors."

"The substance is rare, I am already selecting a new location."

"Good, perhaps we will find a suitable test subject. One I hope, that will be strong enough to survive more than a few hours."

"Agreed, if this succeeds, it will be very profitable."

"It's such a shame the race that used to hunt the Lakesh are extinct, now they would make excellent test subjects."

* * *

Jack was not happy, not after he found out that the lock of the Doctor's door had been picked from the outside; which meant it was Ash that had opened it. But why had he done that and why hadn't he woken him, when he'd seen the Doctor had gone?

He became even unhappier when he found the tag wasn't working.

A shout caught his attention; it was Gwen, He left the house and jogged in the direction of her shout. He found her and the others standing by an uncovered sewer…please no.

"Seriously, you think he's gone down there?" Gwen said.

"He did say this Lakesh like dark, damp places," Jack replied.

"But why, when he could have just run?" Martha said.

"And you think Ash followed him?" Ianto said.

"Everybody shut up, I can't think!" he roared.

When there was stunned silence, he continued, "Yes, I think the Doctor went down there. No, I don't know why he didn't just run, and yes, I think Ash followed him. Ianto, I need you to pull a map of the sewer system. Martha, get a med-kit ready."

He turned to Doctor Stoneleigh.

"How many men can you mobilise, without drawing too much attention?"

* * *

Ash was still following the Doctor, but he could only see flashes of his coat in the narrow beam of his torch. He had no idea where they were heading, but the Doctor seemed to be moving with purpose.

They eventually came to a dead end, when the sewer ended in a large pool of unpleasant water, and a large grill.

The Doctor let out what could be described as an unhappy sound.

Ash stood at the edge of the water, watching as the Doctor paced; he was becoming more and more agitated. He saw his chance to rescue this.

"We can go back, I'm sure the others would help."

The Doctor didn't reply; in fact he wasn't even looking at him.

"Doctor," he repeated, trying to get the Time Lord's attention.

"Come away from the edge," the Doctor suddenly said.

Ash didn't move, wary of the Doctor's sudden request.

"Come away from the edge," the Doctor repeated.

Ash suddenly noticed the urgent tone in the Doctor's voice. He turned, just in time to see something reach out of the water…..then he was in the water.

He heard the Doctor's shout of alarm, then he was under the water, as something pulled him down.

He tried to see what it was, but the water was so murky he could only see flashes of something that might have been teeth or claws. For a second he felt the grip of whatever it relax slightly, and he managed to break free and broke the surface and took in a loud whoop of air.

He thought he heard the Doctor shout something, but he couldn't be sure, as he felt whatever it was brush against his legs again. He heard the Doctor again, and this time he heard the words.

"Hand, grab my hand!"

He blinked away dirty water from his eyes and saw a blurry shape and tried to swim towards it, but whatever it was latched onto him again and he went under once again, and the thought flashed through his mind that you only go under three times, then you drowned.

Once again he felt the pressure go….was this thing playing with him? He shot to the surface and this time he was nearer to the edge and he could see the Doctor, fear and concern etched on his face…and something else…anger.

"Ash, grab my hand!" the Doctor was yelling.

He swam towards him, but found when he reached the edge he didn't have the strength to raise his arm to grab the hand…then he remembered…he had his blade. As he fumbled in his pocket for it, he felt whatever it was brush against his legs again.

He managed to get it above the water, but he couldn't muster the energy to strike at the unseen thing…but he had just enough energy to…

"Doctor…catch!" he cried and launched the knife, just as whatever it was wrapped itself round his legs and he went under for what was the third and probably fatal time.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on cold wet concrete. His stomach suddenly roiled and he threw up dirty water and god knows what else…then he realised something wasn't right; where was the Doctor?

He struggled to his knees and looked round…but there was no sign of the Doctor. He looked out at the water, but it was calm, but his stomach roiled again when he saw something in the water….a slick of blood.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor had been making good time, tracking the Lakesh by its scent. Then another scent came to him…Ash.

What was he doing here?

Then he heard it, the sound of scales on brick; something large was coming, and Ash would blunder right into its path. He ignored the voices that told him to leave him or enjoy the kill.

His hearts had raced when he'd clamped his hand over Ash's mouth, and his breath had hitched when he pulled him tight to his body, as what was a huge luminous snake slithered by; another thing that shouldn't be here.

He'd been unhappy when they'd come to a dead end. He was looking at the pool of murky water, when he sensed it….that prickle of primal instinct; it was here.

He looked past Ash, who had his back to the water, and was saying something. He saw a ripple on the water, and a tell-tale bubble.

"Come away from the edge," he said, and when Ash didn't respond, he repeated the same words; his hearts once again racing.

Then Ash moved, but it was too late, as one of the Lakesh's limbs snaked out, wrapped itself around Ash's legs, pulling him in and under the water.

He ran to the edge and lay on his stomach, trying to see into the murky water.

Suddenly Ash appeared, taking in a huge breath, but he was too far away to grab him. He held out his arm and yelled.

"Hand, grab my hand!"

Ash didn't seem to hear him and he went under again…..the Lakesh was toying with him. Anger began to compete with fear, and despite his anti-human feelings, he found he didn't want Ash to be devoured.

Once again Ash broke the surface, but this time he was closer.

"Hand, grab my hand!" he yelled again.

This time Ash began to swim towards him. But he looked exhausted, and when he reached him, it looked like he didn't have the energy to reach out for his hand.

He risked looking at the water; it was starting to bubble, and Ash started to go under.

Somehow, and he didn't know how, Ash shouted.

"Doctor….catch!"

He saw a metallic flash…a blade.

He thanked Rassilon for his Time Lord reflexes, as he caught the blade, just as Ash was going under; this time, he knew it would be for the kill….and he wasn't having that.

With a snarl that came from way deeper that his psychosis, he tightened his grip on the blade and dove into the water. He strained to see in the dirty water….there, a few feet below.

The Lakesh had Ash in its grip, and he wasn't struggling as it drew him towards its tooth filled maw; it was not going to eat him alive.

He swam down and went for the nearest limb, slashing it deeply. It reacted by retracting all of its limbs, and he was able to pull Ash away.

He swam up with Ash in tow, and with a surge of strength hauled him onto the concrete ledge.

He was about to pull himself out, when he felt it, the brush of a limb. It latched onto the leg that he'd gouged the tag from and squeezed. He let out a bark of pain, and lost his grip on the ledge, and the Lakesh pulled him under.

* * *

Ash stared out at the water, watching the slick of blood, watching for any sign of the Doctor.

He tried to stand, but his leg gave way. He looked down; his jeans leg was ripped and he could see a bloody welt where whatever it was had grabbed him….he was stuck here.

He jumped when the water started to boil, but he felt a rush of relief when he saw the Doctor appear out of the frothing water. He watched as the Doctor swam to the edge, one eye on the Doctor and one eye on the water.

As the Doctor hauled himself out of the water, he could see that he wasn't unscathed. There was deep gash on his temple, and he was covered in some sort of gel-like substance.

There was a look in the Doctor's eyes that made him feel very uncomfortable. Then the Doctor growled, but it wasn't an angry growl….it sounded possessive and if he wasn't mistaken, it sounded lust-laden.

The Doctor advanced towards him and there was nowhere for him to go.

"Mine," the Doctor growled and prowled towards him like an animal.

Ash tried to move back, but the Doctor caught him by his injured leg and pulled him back. He couldn't stop the cry of pain as he was dragged. As he got closer, there was a smell; it was like the one back at the hub…what was it?

Then it came to him; it was pheromones… the Doctor was covered in pheromones from whatever had killed those people; the same thing that had just tried to kill him.

"Mine," the Doctor growled again and Ash was close enough to see the Doctor's eyes; his pupils were dilated, almost to the point of there being no brown….he was definitely on something. Then a horrifying thought flashed through his mind….no, he couldn't let that happen.

He lashed out with his free foot, catching the Doctor on his right side, but this only seemed to spur the Doctor on, and this time he snarled and began pulling him closer; his grip tightening to beyond painful.

Ash lashed out again and this time he caught the Doctor on the chest. It had the desired effect and the Doctor let go of his leg and staggered back; he looked like it had hurt.

Ash managed to scrabble away, and he used the brick wall to get himself upright. His leg protested, but he had a bigger problem…a Time Lord that was high on some alien creature's pheromones and had been….well, close to raping him and still could.

The Doctor was still against the opposite wall, his breathing heavy and his eyes still unfocused.

They couldn't stand like this forever; he had to take a chance. He pushed himself off the wall and favouring his damaged leg he limped over, stopping just out of arms reach.

"Doctor?" he said, trying not to sound fearful.

The Doctor suddenly moved and Ash stepped back a pace.

"Ash," the Doctor said. There was a tremor in his voice, like he was fighting for control. "Lakesh pheromones….can't…"

He said something in what Ash assumed was his own language, and then let out moan that sounded like a noise the Doctor had made when they were intimate.

Ash wasn't sure what he should do. If he went too close, would the Doctor try and assault him, but if he left him alone, would that be worse.

The Doctor moaned and then moved again, away from Ash, but dangerously close the edge of the concrete shelf, and Ash knew he had to do something.

He moved and grabbed the Doctor and pulled him away from the edge, and wrapped his arms around him….Christ, he was trembling, not from being in the cold water, but from whatever effect the pheromones were having.

"That's it, fight it," he whispered and got them both to the floor. He wished he had dry clothes, just to try and stop the Doctor's tremors.

The Doctor tried to get out of his arms, but Ash held him tighter; not caring what danger he was in.

The Doctor let out a whimper and then another pheromone-charged moan, but after what seemed an eternity, the trembling began to lessen and Ash felt the tension in the Doctor's body dissipate.

It was only that he realised how exhausted he himself was. He desperately wanted to close his eyes and let sleep take him…would the Doctor let him take him back now?

"We should go back…we're hurt."

He was expecting a protest from the Doctor, but to his surprise he only nodded…that was new, and a good thing.

"Ash," the Doctor said in no more than a whisper.

"What?" Ash replied.

"You could have died…..and I…I don't want that."

Ash was startled by that confession; had this near death experience done what six months of pills and talking hadn't.

Was the Doctor finally on the road to getting back his love of humanity?

He kissed the top of the Doctor's head and said back.

"Well, I didn't…it'll take more than a six- tentacled thing from outer-space to kill me."

"Eight."

"What?"

"Eight, it has eight, and not technically tentacles."

"Whatever…now how do you suggest the two of us get some help?"

The Doctor wriggled his way out of Ash arms and reached into a sodden pocket, and pulled out….was that a phone?

He handed it to Ash.

"That won't work down here," Ash said.

"Super phone," the Doctor said.

Ash looked at him and despite his scepticism, he dialled Jack's number….it connected.

"Yeah…I'm okay…sort of….yes, the Doctor's with me…no, not sure where we are…hang on….he says you can trace the signal…yes, even underground…super phone….okay, we're not going anywhere."

He put the phone on the ground and once again reached for the Doctor, who didn't move away, and he felt like another barrier had just been dismantled, and they sat in the semi-dark, with only the drip of water for company.


	7. Chapter 7

The laboratory was quiet, which was how he liked it, when he was processing the substance.

Well, it had been quiet until the alarm told him the Lakesh had arrived; which it shouldn't have. When he saw the reason why, he called his compatriot.

"Injured, how can it be injured?" his compatriot said as he watched the Lakesh sit at the bottom of its tank.

"A blade, by the looks of it, then I noticed something else in its injured appendage…foreign matter. It was skin and blood."

"It was attacked by a human, not possible."

"I agree, but then I looked at it closely, and I found this."

The other man frowned, "A triple helix? But humans only have a double. That means there's another off-worlder here, and they attacked the Lakesh. Could it be a bounty hunter?"

"I thought that at first, so I checked the data banks. They're not a bounty hunter….in fact the system almost blew a circuit trying not to tell me who it was."

The other man's face turned into a puzzled frown, "And what does that mean?"

The first man handed him a piece of paper.

"But that's not possible….the system must be faulty."

"So I thought, but I ran it at least five times, and it came back with the same result."

"How can that be, they are extinct."

"And yet, that is the DNA of a Time Lord."

He looked at the other man, and there was glint in his eyes.

"Do you know what this means?"

The other man smiled and said, "You have your test subject."

"Exactly."

"But we don't know where the Time Lord is?"

"No….but we have a sample of his blood. Wake up the hounds."

* * *

Jack had just about given up. He could have had a whole army searching for the pair, but there were miles of sewers, and the Doctor was wily and evasive, and come to think of it, so was Ash.

He was about to recall what men there were still searching the sewer, when his phone rang…it was Ash, what the hell?

"Are you okay...is the Doctor with you...how does your phone work...right….he does…okay, we'll be there ASAP."

Concern had started to give way to anger, as he waited for them to lift the sewer cover, and it was boiling over as he climbed down; he was going to tear strips off them.

Well, he was until he saw them, huddled together, shivering from the cold. Ash's leg looked a mess, and the Doctor had a nasty gash to his temple and was covered in some sort of goo…what had happened?

Then it had descended into chaos. They succeeded in getting Ash up the ladder and out of the sewer, but when it came to the Doctor; it was a different ball game.

Jack tried coercion, persuasion, he'd even sat in front of him and tried to stare him into moving.

He didn't want to use brute force, not with the Doctor's head injury. He could only surmise that it was the injury to his head that was making in so intractable. Lord, he hoped it wasn't concussion or worse.

But after a half hour of trying, his patience finally ran out.

"Enough of this," he snapped and stood. He grabbed the collar of the Doctor's coat and hauled him up.

The Doctor let out a startled cry and managed to pull free of Jack's grip, and back-pedalled until he was against the damp-slickened brickwork.

"Come on Doctor, where are you going to run to?" he said, slowly moving towards him.

He stopped when the Doctor moved too close to the pool of filthy water; it looked like he'd already been in it, and Jack had no desire to follow suit.

The Doctor's movement had set the gash on his temple bleeding again, and it looked as dirty as the rest of him.

"You need someone to look at that, germs and all."

He was considering tackling the Doctor, when he heard someone climbing down the metal ladder.

"Well, he's not exactly getting anywhere, is he?

It was Gwen.

"Gwen, go back up," he said, as she stepped onto the concrete. She was carrying one of the med-kits that Martha had made up.

"Not a chance," she replied.

"Gwen," he warned.

She stopped next to him and said in that direct manner she used sometimes.

"He doesn't trust you…and don't give me that look. It's bloody freezing down here, and he's wet through. Please Jack, let me try."

Jack wasn't happy, but he nodded.

"I'll be at the top of the ladder," he said and moved away.

* * *

Gwen waited until Jack was out of sight. She put the med-kit on the ground and said.

"That's better, isn't it? It's not very nice down here, but I suppose if you're chasing a damp, dark place loving creature, it makes sense."

She kept her distance from the Doctor, like any frightened thing, human, animal and Time Lord, you let them come to you. And she didn't have to wait long, as the Doctor stepped away from the wall, but no further.

"You know, Jack's mad at you. He put his neck on the line for you, fought to keep you at Torchwood. You could have been in so many jars by now."

The Doctor's raised eyebrow told her she'd made the connection she wanted. She picked up the med-kit and move forward.

"That's a nasty cut, that thing must have had sharp claws."

"Suckers as well…nasty combination," the Doctor said.

She chanced a smile…he was at least talking. He winced suddenly and touched is temple.

"No, don't touch," she said and moved right up to him. "Sit."

She was glad to see that he did…was he putting trust in her again, like he had when she'd become a nanny to his poor ill-fated twins.

She opened the med-kit and poured sterile solution onto some padding,

"This will sting."

A few minutes later she put the last piece of tape over the gauze, "That should hold until Martha looks at it."

She saw the wary look return to his eyes.

"We're not your enemy, and you do want to see Ash again?"

The wary look was still there, so she said, "If you like, I can stay with you, and if anyone does something you don't like, I can intervene."

He looked at her, a hint of surprise in his voice when he spoke.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course, I don't like the way their keeping you sons from you. So, shall we get out of this horrible smelly place?"

She was true to her word and was with the Doctor, right up until he dropped into an exhaustion fuelled sleep. Now she had to face Jack.

"That was a stupid, but very brave thing to do," he said.

"He needed a friend, and he trusts me. I took a chance, don't make me a liar. He needs help, not locking in a cage."

* * *

The warehouses by the docks were deserted at night; and there was little security; so no-one noticed one of the warehouse doors open…nor the unnatural looking things that emerged from it and sniffed the air.

Several armed figures followed along with two figures in lab coats.

"Find the Time Lord…find him and bring him to us."

The unnatural looking things took off, followed closely by the armed figures; it looked like a hunting party, and that was exactly what it was.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor woke, expecting to be back in a cell, but instead he was back in the same room he'd escaped from. He looked at the window; it now sported bars. He wasn't surprised, but perhaps a bit disappointed.

He could still smell the Lakesh pheromones, and his blood still buzzed with the urge to hunt it. He closed his eyes when the voices started again, and he wished he had the medication that Seska…..he couldn't even think his name without a pain in his hearts.

This year would have been his naming year, but now he would forever be without his true name; Seska being his family name. He felt a flash of temper, as he relieved the moment the bullet had destroyed his son's hearts. Somewhere out there was a human with a very large target on their back.

He could hear faint voices, no doubt Harkness and his motley crew…and where had they taken Ash?

He moved towards the door and tried it; it wasn't locked. Now that was a mistake.

He opened the door slightly, just to make sure they were not upstairs. He drew in a breath, yes, Ash was here. He moved quietly along the landing, until he came to one door, which too was open.

He supposed he should have been wary, but sometimes his impulses overruled his caution. He moved into the room…and yes, Ash was there, but so was someone else….Harkness.

"Thought you might end up here," Harkness said.

He stepped back, once again wary, but not wanting to leave.

Harkness didn't move from his seat. He did however ask a question that he wasn't willing to answer…yet.

"Why don't you trust me?"

He supposed he would have to answer him, but for the moment his head was full Ash and the Lakesh. He moved back into the room and stopped by the bed. He looked at Harkness, who seemed to know what he was thinking.

"He's not in trouble, he's just an idiot. But this happens again, you'll never leave your cell again, is that understood?"

Oh, he understood…but he had no intention of ever going back in a cell.

Once he'd seen that Ash was alright, he was going to slip away, find the Lakesh and whoever was holding its leash, and finish this. Then he would find somewhere on this mud-ball of a planet and disappear.

"We're going back to Cardiff," Harkness said.

Those words punctured his plan, and there would be no way of getting away. So, he ignored Harkness, pulled up the other chair and sat by the bed.

He heard Harkness sigh, and he knew he was going to ask the same question, so he spoke first.

"You're keeping my sons from me. Why should I trust you?"

He heard Harkness get up, then he was crouched down beside him.

"I didn't have a choice."

He gave Harkness a side-ways glance, "There's always a choice."

"Not this time, they wanted to nail your ass to the wall, and you don't want to know what they would have done with Jakaar."

"Then I thank you for saving my sons, but that doesn't mean we are friends."

"I guessed that."

"Do you understand why?"

There was silence, then Harkness said.

"Yeah, I do."

Ash let out a groan; their conversation must be disturbing him.

"I'll be outside, the window is nailed shut," Harkness said.

He ignored the warning; he knew that particular trick wouldn't work again. He would just have to bide his time; but he was not going back into a cell.

He sat with Ash until Harkness re-entered the room, and he said nothing when he was locked in his room.

He moved to the window and looked out. A movement caught his eye…two figures were standing, half-hidden in the shadows. Behind then, shadows seemed to be moving back and forth. He shook his head; a trick of the light, and the two figures began walking away.

He chased the paranoid thoughts that were bubbling up away, as the voices were once again whispering to him; and he could feel the beginning of a headache.

The first signs of morning were creeping over the city, when his door was unlocked. As Harkness handcuffed him, the voices bridled at it. He caught sight of Ash being helped downstairs.

His view was then blocked by Gwen.

"Handcuffs?" she said, her disquiet obvious in her voice.

"Necessary," Harkness replied.

"I'm sorry," Gwen said to him.

But he wasn't listening, the voices in his head were too loud, and his headache was blooming into a migraine.

Then came the pain, but this time it wasn't gradual; it was white hot and took the power from his legs.

"Jack, he's…." was the last thing he heard.

* * *

"Jack, he's going down!" Gwen said urgently.

Jack just about caught him.

"Get those things off!" Gwen snapped.

He quickly undid the cuffs, and just in time, as the Doctor descended into a fit.

"Martha!" Jack bellowed, as he shrugged off his coat and managed to ball it under the Doctor's head.

Martha appeared, just as the Doctor stopped fitting. She was about to open one of his eyes, when they flickered open; but they seemed unfocused.

"I don't think the fit is done yet," she said, her voice calm.

The Doctor started speaking, not in human, but in his own language. But there was something not quite right about his voice, and neither of them could fathom what it was; it sounded like him, but not him.

He suddenly stopped talking and he began to fit again.

"Come on, Doctor, that's enough now," Martha said.

Gradually the Doctor calmed, and blinked confused eyes at her.

"We can't leave, not until he's rested," Martha said.

"Gwen?" the Doctor said, his voice slightly slurred.

Gwen moved forward and knelt beside him.

"I'm here, cariad," she said.

She jumped when he grabbed hold of her hand and said something that made her frown in puzzlement.

"They're free."


	9. Chapter 9

Ash heard the commotion, but he couldn't get up the stairs. He wanted to get up, to help with the Doctor. With a lot of effort and pain, he started to climb the stairs, only to be stopped by Ianto, who was coming down.

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"The Doctor."

"It's okay, they're handling it."

"No, I have to."

"The only thing you have to do is go and sit back on the sofa."

He could hear the activity upstairs, until Ianto guided him back into the living room, and onto the sofa. He heard the sound of feet coming down, and Martha appeared.

"You shouldn't have tried to climb the stairs," she chided as she re-dressed his leg.

"The Doctor, is he okay?"

"He had an epileptic fit, he's had them before, and you know that. Ash, I have to ask, why did you follow him?"

"Why? Because unlike some people, I don't think he should be locked away. I think he should be allowed to see his children, it must be hell on him. I think he should get away from this stinking planet and never come back."

Martha said nothing, as she digested his words. She put her hand on his leg and said.

"You still love him."

"I never stopped. I loved him from the moment I saw him in that hostelry. I want to take him away, and just be a family."

"It's a nice thought, Ash, but you know that's never going to happen. Even if that were possible, there's someone else he loves."

Ash let out a sigh, "I know. So, I take it we're not leaving today?"

"No, you both need rest. The best thing you can do for the Doctor is tell Jack everything that happened in the sewers. We still have this Lakesh to catch."

Ash wasn't sure what he could tell Jack; it was a blur, well, most of it. But this Lakesh was dangerous….and then there was that snake.

* * *

"That was a weird thing he said," Gwen said, as she helped Jack get the Doctor back onto the bed.

"What was weird?"

"What he said. They're free," she replied.

"You heard Martha, it was part of his fit. It meant nothing."

Gwen wasn't sure about that, but she said nothing. But she was sure she'd something in the Doctor's eyes…she was sure she'd seen fear.

She gave Jack a displeased look when he locked the door.

"Sorry Gwen, I can't trust him not to run off again. If he goes AWOL, we might be able to keep it quiet."

"The Americans," she said.

Jack nodded, "And no matter what you or he thinks, I don't want him to end up on a dissection table."

"But we need him, don't we? This Lakesh thing, we can't track it, but he can."

"Not now, I need to talk to Ash."

* * *

They were all sitting in the living area as Ash tried to explain what had happened in the sewers.

"There's a huge snake down there as well…great," Jack said.

"So, was it this Lakesh that attacked you?" Ianto asked.

Ash nodded.

"And the Doctor saved you?"

"Yeah, he must have injured it. He was covered in black stuff and that stinky stuff."

"He was covered in its pheromones?" Jack said.

"How did it affect him?" Martha asked.

"At first, he seemed pretty spaced out…then, well, the only way to describe it is, he was as horny as hell, but in an animal kind of way."

Martha frowned, "That shouldn't have affected him. He's been covered in stuff like that before, and nothing."

Ash started to shrug his shoulders, then it looked like he remembered something.

"He told me…yeah, he told me, that before they became all Time Lordly and insular, they lived on other planets. This Lakesh used to predate on them, and they used to hunt the Lakesh."

"Primal instinct," Doctor Stoneleigh said. "I should imagine he saw you as a reward for fighting it. You can take the Time Lord out of the primitive, but not the primitive out of the Time Lord."

"So that's why he went so crazy back at the Hub," Jack said.

"It's only a guess," Doctor Stoneleigh said. "On the other hand, it could have been his psychosis. But Gwen is right, he is the only one who can track this thing."

"Then we'll have to keep a tighter hold on his leash," Jack said.

* * *

Evening came and eventually the house fell silent.

No-one heard the 'snick' of a lock being broken, nor the click of claws on wood…well they wouldn't have, if Ianto hadn't chosen to finally go to bed, after finishing some research.

The snarl of the thing with claws reverberated through the house….then it descended into mayhem.

Jack was the first to reach the stairs, weapon drawn. For a moment, he couldn't really believe what he was seeing, as he saw Ianto corned by a large deformed wolf, and there three more pacing nearby.

He fired a warning shot, which got the attention of all four, and four sets of eyes and teeth filled jaws focused on him.

One of them let out a snarl and launched itself up the stairs.

Jack fired again, unsure as to whether he'd hit it; but it kept coming.

"Move!" he yelled to everybody as he back-pedalled.

The wolf things were advancing more slowly, perhaps wary of Jack's weapon. Amidst the snarls and growls and the sound of people trying to avoid the advancing sets of teeth, they took no notice of the door to the Doctor's room, as it creaked and seemed to strain under some unseen pressure.

Jack managed to herd them into one room, slamming the door, and pushing a chair under the handle; hoping it would hold. No-one dare move as they heard the snuffling at the door.

"Jack, Ash is downstairs," Martha said urgently.

"I know!" he snapped. " So is Ianto."

Suddenly the snuffling stopped, and the click of claws on wood receded.

Jack was about to take the chair away, when the growls and snarls re-started.

Then there came a completely different sound; the sound of wood splintering and what sounded like dogs fighting.

"Christ, the Doctor!" Gwen shouted.

Jack kicked the chair away and almost tore the door off its hinges to get out.

The sight that met them, froze them to the spot.

A bloodied and snarling Doctor was being dragged by one of the wolf things; it's teeth sunken into one of his arms.

But it was the look on the Doctor's face that made Jack's heart skip….it wasn't fear or pain; it was savage, as savage as the thing that was dragging him.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Once again apologies for lack of separation in scenes**_

The pack of wolf-things began backing down the stairs, the one dragging the Doctor snarling as it went. Jack advanced slowly, hoping to god that the Doctor had the sense not to struggle.

But that look…that look told him volumes. He'd seen that look only once before; a feral, I will fight to the death look…..please, please don't.

He reached the top of the stairs and could see Ianto at the bottom; his own weapon raised.

Jack was thinking on his feet, he had to even the odds. He thanked the gods for the telepathy he and his team seemed to have, as Ianto stepped back. He could see Ianto tense as one, two, and then three of the wolf-things backed out of the door.

Then with speed born of need for precise timing, Ianto lunged forward and slammed the door, sliding the bolt across; something with hindsight, they should have done earlier.

The wolf-thing that was holding the Doctor snarled and dropped the Doctor, who must have been weakened by blood loss, because he didn't move.

Jack took aim at it, but…dear god, as he did it picked the Doctor up. Then it looked him straight in the eyes, and what he saw, he couldn't believe….he saw intelligence.

It knew, somehow it knew, that if it had the Doctor in its jaws, he wouldn't fire.

"You can't shoot it," Martha said. "Its jaws could lock and do more damage."

"Then what?" he hissed back.

"We've got serum Five."

"Do it," he said, trying to watch the wolf-thing, the Doctor and Ianto.

He could hear Martha and Doctor Stoneleigh, but now his eyes were once again locked with the wolf-thing. He was trying not to be un-nerved by the malevolent intelligence that shone back at him.

Those moments it took Martha to prepare the serum seemed to stretch to an eternity, and all of the time the Doctor's blood was spilling onto the floor. He could hear the other wolf-things scratching at the door; but he put them out of his mind.

Martha came back, a large syringe in her hand. Jack knew what had to be done; if he had to die again, then he would. He gave his weapon to Gwen and began descending the stairs, one at a time.

The wolf-thing growled and rolled its eyes, the whites showing. He had to time this right; he would only get one chance.

Once again, that telepathy came into play as Ianto suddenly fired a shot into the air.

It startled the wolf-thing, and it took its eyes of him. He didn't hesitate and he leapt from the stair he was on, and towards the wolf-thing.

But he wasn't quick enough and the wolf-thing lashed out with razor sharp claws.

Jack crashed into the wall and lay stunned, the syringe skittered across the floor.

The others suddenly sprang into action, yelling and shouting, trying to distract it, trying to give Jack time to recover.

But it wasn't Jack who took hold of the syringe.

The Doctor had tried to tell Gwen that they were free; the polar opposites of his mental instability.

They were now squabbling over who should be in charge and it felt like his head was on fire, and in the quiet of the house, the voices were even louder.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it," he ground out, pulling at his hair in desperation and frustration.

He didn't want to be lost to insanity; he knew the consequences of that. But there was no-one to calm the voices, that person was so far away.

He tried to ignore them and throw up his mental barriers, but to no avail. Then he heard it… the clicking of claws on wood, and the smell. His baser side rushed to the fore and he knew he'd lost the battle.

He screamed in frustration at the locked door, he was itching to rush into a fight with whatever was outside. He pulled on the door again and this time it started to give way, and he could hear the things outside coming. He snarled and finally the door came away, wood splintering and cracking.

Then he saw them and he let out a snarl to match theirs, and launched himself at them.

The fight, such as it was, was short and brutal, and ended when one of the creatures clamped down on his arm. He snarled his defiance at it, adrenalin and rage dulling any pain. He tried to free himself, but it was to no avail, as he was dragged out of the room.

Eventually, the overdose of adrenalin and blood loss took its toll, so when the creature dropped him, he had no energy to react.

He could hear the humans and he could smell their fear; it made for a heady mix….the smell of his blood, the smell of the creature, and it made his already over-stimulated system go into overdrive.

Then something had skittered to a halt next to him, and for a moment his more intelligent, cold calculating side came to the fore….it was a syringe. He knew what to do with it, and in a moment of unity between the two sides, he drove the syringe into the creature's eye.

It let out a howl and then dropped to the floor, and he knew he had killed it. But there were others outside and once again his uncontrolled side took over.

He managed to get to his feet and skirted past the dead creature and towards the door. He found his way blocked by one of the humans, who was talking at him. He wanted out and the human was in his way.

He snarled at the human and moved a hand towards the bolt. The human moved forwards, still talking.

He snarled again, this time there was a threat in the warning.

Then he heard a different sound; it sounded like a whistle, and it was followed by the creatures moving away. He let out another snarl and turned his attention to the human; it was going to pay for that.

Too late he realised there was someone behind him, and strong arms wrapped round him. He snarled again and tried to free himself.

But he found one of the arms around his throat, and he couldn't breathe; then everything went black, and the last thing he heard was.

"I'm sorry."

Jack hadn't expected the wolf-thing to have that much speed, and the claws caught him on one side. He hit the wall hard and fell to the floor, winded and slightly stunned.

Although his ears were ringing and his side was on fire, he had to get up. As he fought to clear his head, he heard what could only be the wolf-thing howl, then a thud…the silence. As the ringing stopped and the room stopped spinning, he managed to stand, but found the situation was no better.

The wolf-thing was dead, a syringe protruding from its eye, but his eyes were taken by the stand-off between Ianto and a bloody and snarling Doctor.

He knew what the Doctor wanted as he heard the other wolf-things outside, and that wasn't going to happen.

He shook his head and moved towards the Doctor, who was advancing on Ianto. He heard what he thought was a whistle, but he ignored it.

The Doctor snarled again, and the tone of the snarl had changed; there was real threat in it. That made his mind up and he moved faster, and enclosed the Doctor in a bear hug.

The Doctor snarled again and began to struggle. He was forced to use a choke-hold. And it took and eternity for the Doctor to go down.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What do you mean, the hounds failed? That is not acceptable, and you have lost one of them. Fortunately, one of our informants has given us their identity. Start moving everything to Cardiff….we will make this Torchwood come to us, and with it the Time Lord."


	11. Chapter 11

Martha wasn't happy about the choke hold Jack had used on the Doctor. As she and Doctor Stoneleigh worked on the Doctor's damaged arm, she could see the bruise already forming on the Doctor's throat.

"These wounds are deep, they look worse than what they are, almost like those things weren't there to kill him, but to retrieve him," Doctor Stoneleigh said.

Martha frowned at that, "Retrieve, but that would mean…."

"Someone knew where we were based."

Martha wasn't sure what to think about that, so she busied herself dressing the bite marks.

"No, there not deep, but I'm worried about infection, and I can't give him any antibiotics."

"I think he's waking up," Doctor Stoneleigh said.

"Nearly done," she said and carefully placed the last steri-strip. "He's not going to be happy."

"Then it's a good thing we're back here," Doctor Stoneleigh said.

Martha looked up at the bright lights of the cell, then at the camera.

"Yeah, and that's going to make it so much better."

The Doctor let out a groan and a frown creased his face.

"Martha, time to leave," Doctor Stoneleigh said.

She hurriedly finished wrapping the dressing, just as the Doctor's movements became more animated.

They'd just closed and locked the cell door, as the Doctor got to his feet and faster than they were happy about, he was at the front of the cell.

Martha flinched when he tapped the surface, but she went cold when she saw the smile that appeared on his face.

"My, my, Martha Jones, you're getting quicker at escaping me. Now that just won't do, I'll be sure to correct that once I'm out of here. And it seems the good captain is getting slower at taking those stairs."

The door to the cells opened.

"Oh look, it's the rest of Scooby gang. But which one is the dog?"

The Doctor looked straight at Jack, "Oh, there you are."

_**scene break**_

Jack was already moving, the second he'd seen the Doctor get to his feet. But he was quicker than he thought and was already at the front of the cell by the time he and Ianto had reached the cells.

He ignored the Doctor's barbed comment and turned his back on him.

"Martha, go back upstairs and keep Gwen and Ash company."

"That's it, be a good girl and run along," the Doctor said.

Jack didn't miss the inflection in the Doctor's voice; something seemed off-kilter.

"I wondered where he was. It really is becoming quite tiresome, the way you keep him from me."

Doctor Stoneleigh tapped Jack's shoulder and said, "Did you notice the slight difference in his voice?"

"Yeah, what's with that?"

"I'm guessing, and it's only a guess, without a proper examination, a separate personality."

"Schizophrenia?"

"Don't want to make that assumption…do Time Lord suffer from the same mental problems as us?"

"The Master was as crazed as they come…so, yeah."

"This is not good, Jack. He's already borderline psychotic, if not already there. If this is another aberration then you'll have no choice but to send him to Flat Holm. We won't be able to keep him here, he'll need twenty-four hour supervision."

"You know, it's rude to talk about someone when they're standing in their cell," the Doctor said.

Again there was that inflection in the Doctor's voice, it was cold in tone…then it came to him.

"Back at the London house, he was wild, out of control, almost feral. But now he's way too calm, the complete opposite, even his body language."

"Are you deaf as well as rude. I said it's not polite to talk about the Time Lord when he still in the room," the Doctor said.

This time Jack didn't ignore him. He turned back, to find the Doctor still leaning on the clear front.

"Are we playing the Jekyll and Hyde card now?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and smiled….a Joker's smile that only accentuated the gleam of insanity in his eyes. Then his smile faded as he spoke.

"You do realise that there's still a Lakesh out there…oh and one very large and hungry snake. Not that it matters to me."

Jack knew there was more, "And?"

"And, you seem to have locked up your only way of finding them…but then, what do I care if they kill the whole population of London."

Jack held his gaze, trying to find even the smallest sign of sanity in them and failing. It looked like the decision had been made for him.

"Not your problem, the only place you're going is Flat Holm."

The Doctor's smile turned sour, then it became a scowl.

"Flat Holm, you're sending me to a lunatic asylum. I really don't think you are."

Jack stiffened his spine, "In fact, you'll be going tonight, and if I have to wrap you in chains to do it, I will."

He turned away then, the Doctor actually silent for a change.

"Call them," he said to Doctor Stoneleigh, and with that he left.

_**scene break**_

Gwen was not happy with Jack and she and Martha were making it plain to him.

"Flat Holm, you can't stick him in there. He'll never come out again," Martha said.

"How can you put him with all those crazies?" Gwen said, her temper already flaring.

"Because I can, and I have to," Jack replied.

"Why?" both the women said together.

"Because I can't watch him twenty-four seven, they can. You saw him Martha, that's not a sane person, not in anyone's book. It would be better for everyone if he was there."

"But…"Martha started to say.

"No arguments," Jack snapped. "I've made my decision, he goes. We can't look after him and look for those things in the sewers in London…and glaring at me won't help. He goes tonight, and that's the end of it."

_**scene break**_

The hours until they were ready to transport the Doctor seemed to drag, and they braced themselves for a fight, thinking that the Doctor wouldn't go quietly.

However, to everyone's surprise and Jack's suspicion, he didn't resist, nor verbally abuse them. The flight to Flat Holm also seemed to last for an eternity, the expanse of water seemed more like an ocean that a strip of grey water.

Only Doctor Stoneleigh and his-self had escorted the Doctor and they only relaxed when he was into the room that would be his permanent place of incarceration.

As the door was closing the Doctor turned and finally spoke, his tone was level and full of promise.

"I'll be seeing you again…soon."

_**scene break**_

"Oh great, this is that last thing I needed before clocking off," the maintenance supervisor said.

"Not my fault someone reported weird noises coming from the drains," a voice replied over his walkie-talkie.

"Well, I can't see anything," he said, as he stuck his head into the drain. "Hang on…I thought I saw…what the hell….no….no…"

"Paul, what is it? What can you see? Paul…are you there…Paul!?"

The only reply that came was the hissing static from the walkie-talkie.


	12. Chapter 12

Ash wasn't happy…no, not happy wasn't the word. He wasn't angry at the whole team, he was angry at one person…Jack.

He'd had no right to make the decision to send the Doctor to Flat Holm. Oh, he knew what Flat Holm was, it was part of his history; a place that in his time was viewed like the 21st Century viewed the asylums of the past.

But his anger at Jack wasn't the worst thing, because he knew its history, he also knew that sometime within the next twelve hours, Flat Holm would be nothing but a burning hole.

Why Jack had no knowledge of it, he didn't know; he never did understand the twists and turns of temporal mechanics. But he knew that by the time he would be able to contact Jack, it would already be too late.

* * *

The Doctor watched the psychiatrist shuffle his papers.

"So Doctor, if this is the Doctor I'm speaking to at this moment, would you care to tell me something I don't know, anything?"

He almost let out a derisory snort.

"Care to, I don't particularly care to do anything. But, since it seems I don't have a choice, how about this. Release me and I won't turn this place on its head."

The psychiatrist sat back in his chair and said, "That's a very incendiary and aggressive thing to say. So you at least have some issues, care to discuss them?"

Now he did let a snort of derision, "Issues….issues? This isn't a let's sit down and have a nice cup of tea and a chat thing. It's a going to be a permanent resident of our fine facility kind of thing. And don't lie, I tend to know when I'm being lied to."

"No-one said you would be here permanently."

"Of course they didn't, but he did. When Jack Harkness say let's lock the crazy Time Lord in a nice padded cell, you go yes sir."

"That's your opinion, but that's only for your safety."

"Right, so it has nothing to do with the fact that right now part of me wants to rip your arm off and beat you to death with it?"

He noticed the man shift in his chair and he smiled inwardly…he'd got him.

"Or the fact that if I really wanted to, I could get inside your mind and make you kill yourself instead."

"Yes…well."

The Doctor watched the man visibly swallow….oh this was going to be good. It was far more fun being you by the book psychopath.

"I think perhaps we should discuss this after you've had some rest."

Two 'orderlies' appeared and he gave them his cheeriest smile as they escorted him away.

* * *

A few minutes later the psychiatrist was sitting with two men that he knew had the power to shut this whole place down, if he couldn't convince them that they could handle their newest patient.

"You did the right thing, Captain Harkness. His psychosis has clearly intensified. The unveiled threats of violence to my person show that his social conscious is breaking down. I didn't see any sign of schizophrenia, but that doesn't mean that it won't manifest itself again."

"And you're certain you can handle him?" Captain Harkness asked.

"Absolutely, we do after all specialise in cases like these."

"You do realise that the Doctor is not your average patient?" Doctor Stoneleigh said.

"I can assure you sir, that the Doctor will be secure here. We are well aware of what he is capable of, and our staff have been well-briefed as to what to expect."

"Didn't seem like it back there," Captain Harkness said.

"Yes…well, I wasn't expecting him to be so…confident."

"And that it why I need your assurances that you can handle him. He has escaped from places way more secure than here," Captain Harkness said.

"Captain Harkness, he will be well cared for here, and if by some freak accident he does escape, where can he go? We are after all surrounded by water."

* * *

"Get as close to the shore as you can. Tell them to be ready to jump off, the patrol will be around in exactly five minutes."

The man next to the person carefully guided the military style boat closer to the rocky shore.

They both watched as the group of figures jumped off, hardly making a splash. They could see it was stealth born of years of training and the need to keep the advantage of surprise. They never spoke to them; that wasn't what they were paid for, they were paid to drop them and then wait, just off-shore for them to return.

What they had been sent to retrieve wasn't their business, but they knew what this place was, so whoever it was, it would not be good.

* * *

The moonless night made it difficult to see beyond the security lights. Not that the two guards patrolling the fence were worried; the loonies inside never escaped, and no-one would be insane enough to try and break in.

So they never saw the shadows skirt round the light, nor did they see their death when it came.

The shadows moved into the light and one of them place something on the fence before the others began scaling it. Moments later the shadows were moving across the open ground, heading towards the building that was separate from the huge building that stood out.

The group then split as two of the shadows disappeared into the smaller building and the others waited patiently by one of the doors on the side of the larger building.

There was silence, but it was destroyed by an explosion and then there was nothing but sound as sirens began blaring out.

The group of shadows opened the now unlocked door and moved inside, into the chaos they had just caused.

* * *

The Doctor had just settled himself in his new cell…not that he would be in here long….something was in the air…something in the time lines…something was changing, he could feel it. Something he could use to his advantage.

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the time line that was changing, but it was impossible, as it was twisting and fluctuating at an alarming rate. He had the feeling that something important and disastrous was going to happen.

He smiled, but the smile wasn't pleasant; it was smile that said I'm going to revel in whatever chaos was coming.

He didn't even jump when the lights went out and alarms began to ring out. And when the emergency light came on and he heard the lock to his cell undo, he casually sauntered out; a devil's smile on his face to match the red light.


	13. Chapter 13

"Report!" Jack shouted over the alarm.

They had just come out of the meeting with the Chief Psychiatrist, when it had all gone to hell.

First the alarm had screeched into life, then the lights went out, bathing everything in the red of the emergency lighting.

He was shouting into a borrowed com, trying to keep in contact with the Head of Security.

"We've got trouble down here, sir!" came the reply. "The locks have failed in several blocks, the inmates are rioting!"

Jack felt a lead weight land in his stomach as he asked, "Which blocks?"

"C, D, and E!"

The lead weight turned acidic; the Doctor was on E Block.

"Stay out of E Block!" he shouted, but all he got in return was static.

"Not good…so not good."

Another voice came over his com.

"Sir, it was an external breach. The generators have be sabotaged, and one of the fire doors have been opened from the outside."

"Dammit!"

Jack somehow knew what exactly these intruders were here for, but there was no way they were going to lay hands on their prize. He turned to Doctor Stoneleigh.

"I want you to get as many inmates and staff out as you can."

Doctor Stoneleigh took his arm, "You're going after the Doctor."

"I have to. Whoever they are, I'm pretty certain it's him they're after. It's too much of a coincidence that we have a security breach just now."

He spoke into his com, "If any teams can hear me, do not enter Block E. I repeat, do not enter Block E! Draw back!"

He suddenly flinched when he heard gunfire; he was too late. Once again people were dying over someone wanting a piece of the Time Lord.

"Get as many out as you can and don't come back in."

He checked his side-arm and then moved off.

* * *

The Doctor strolled out of his cell, ignoring the alarm and his fellow inmates. However the screams of some of them was starting to grate; but he wasn't going to waste time dealing with them.

He reached the door that separated the blocks and he could see the same chaos, but it all worked in his favour. He opened the door and found the chaos wasn't his only problem.

As he approached the next door, he could see armed and masked men on the other side. The door must still been locked; which in itself was a problem, but one he was sure he could overcome. But it didn't take a genius to work out what they were after; and that wasn't going to happen.

He turned away from the door and looked at the chaos. None of these screaming idiots were going be of any help….but, he had noticed there was one that wasn't screaming. He walked back along the block and stopped outside one of the cells.

He sauntered into it, ignoring the murderous glare he got from its occupant. He sat down next to the occupant and with his brightest voice and smile he said.

"Bit noisy in here, isn't it? I bet you'd really like to get out of here."

The occupant of the cell looked at him and his expression seemed to say…and how are you going to do that?

"I know what you are, I can sense it. What would you say if I said I could remove the muzzle they put on you?"

The occupant of the cell frowned and then smiled.

"Brilliant," the Doctor said and put his hands on the head of the occupant and closed his eyes.

A few moments later the occupant of the cell spoke.

"What do you want me to do?"

The Doctor smiled again, and this time his smile was as wicked as the bright smile he'd used before.

* * *

Jack was making good progress, as the block here were now empty. Doctor Stoneleigh was good and had evacuated the place in minutes. According to one of the security patrols that had managed to get back, the doors between E Block and F Block was still locked, and only a fire alarm would allow them to unlock.

He'd chosen to take some of the guards with him, the ones he thought were capable of handling a firefight; two ex-marines and two ex-navy seals.

"When we find them, no quarter," he said.

There was a chorus of 'Yes sir' as Jack unlocked the next door.

They were walking down a set of stairs when one of them said, "Do you smell smoke?"

Then another alarm joined the cacophony and now the smoke was visible.

"Oh crap!" Jack said. "That means all the doors and cells are going to unlock."

The sounds of running feet gave credence to his statement and the little group of armed men were suddenly pushed aside by fleeing inmates, intent on escaping the smoke and probably flames.

Jack knew there was nothing down there to use to start to a fire…well, there shouldn't be. Then it came to him…no…oh no, please…the Fire Starter. But he'd been muzzled by a…..He suddenly went very hot; there was only one person who could remove the muzzle.

His thoughts were interrupted by gunfire and suddenly himself and the other armed men became very alert; the intruders must be near and so was the Doctor.

The stairs were clear now, any inmates left were probably overcome by smoke or killed by their fellow inmates. The gunfire had ceased, but that didn't mean it was a good thing.

Any minute now, Jack expected the screaming to start…and he wasn't wrong.

A long drawn out scream echoed up the stairwell; it had started.

* * *

The Doctor watched in admiration as the one they called the Fire Starter placed his hands on the material in his cell. It was supposed to be fire-retardant, but it was designed to stop accidental fire…not one started by a pyro-morph.

The Doctor was intrigued as to how one had come to be on Earth, let alone in this place. He'd sensed him when he'd been escorted back to his cell.

He watched with fascination as the material began to smoke and then a small flame appeared…oh, he was going to have to take this one with him.

He didn't have long to wait, as a few moments after the first tendrils of smoke had escaped the cell, the alarm went off, joining in a discordant duo with the other alarm.

Then he heard the hiss as the door unlocked, then gunfire as the armed men made their way inside.

He looked at the Fire Starter and said, "Are you ready to leave here?"

The Fire Starter smiled at him; a predatory smile, one that could almost match his own.

He stepped out of the cell, his newest toy following.

The smoke gave them just enough cover as they saw figures moving through it. He had to repress a snarl as one of them came close…that's it, just a little bit closer.

Then he allowed the animal side of him that had been howling for release loose, and the person's scream echoed off the wall as he was attacked by an unseen assailant.

No longer silent, the Doctor let out a snarl and let go of the person's ruined arm…..but then something unexpected happened

Instead of his attack causing panic he found himself being held by strong arms. Something was placed over his mouth and he instantly recognised the taste and the scent…but only seconds later he succumbed to its effects and the alarms faded and the smell of smoke disappeared…then nothing.

* * *

Jack and the small team, burst into the smoke filled block, but it was clear that they were too late. They must have overpowered the Doctor and he had no doubt they were already out of the building.

He had to admire the plan….it was easier to abduct someone when there was chaos.

The smoke was beginning to clear and one of the guards swore…something else was wrong.

"So not good…so not good. It's not just the Doctor that's gone sir. The Fire Starter, he's gone."


	14. Chapter 14

"Why do I even bother to give instructions? My orders were precise, I did not say bring me something I didn't ask for."

The group of men, although they were bigger than the man berating them, stood ram-rod straight, and felt distinctly nervous.

"At least you brought me the Time Lord…now, leave us."

The man that had spoken walked round the figure that was strapped to the examination table.

"I expected him to be more….imposing."

"If you believed every tale about Time Lords, he'd be a hundred foot tall and be breathing fire. Still, he is a miracle."

"Yes, that he is."

"It seems a shame that we have to use him in such a way."

The man looked over at his compatriot.

"Yes, it does. I wonder, tell me, are you any further forward in your work?"

"I have made progress…why?"

"We only need a carrier to last long enough to reach our main laboratory."

His compatriot suddenly latched onto what he was saying.

"You want to use the Time Lord for something else?"

"Think about it, all that knowledge he has, how useful it would be."

"I don't think he's going to share."

"I'm not sure about that. He was after all in a secure psychiatric facility when we acquired him. Perhaps he can be persuaded."

"Well. You're about to find out, he's waking up."

* * *

His first thought was that when he was fully awake, he was going to take apart the first person who got in his way. As he became more aware, he realised he was strapped down, and by metal restraints.

He flexed his hands, trying to test their strength.

"I wouldn't waste you strength," a voice said. "They are made from Ilusian steel."

He opened his eyes and flicked them towards the speaker…well, this day was full of surprises.

"Nice cosmetic job. Serasian…am I right?"

"Very good. See, I was right."

"Excuse me…once again, it's rude to talk about the Time Lord, whilst the Time Lord's still in the room, or strapped to a table."

"My apologies, but a necessary precaution, considering where you were acquired from."

"Ah, the crazy house."

The one who was talking moved closer, and raised a well-crafted but fake eyebrow.

"And are you as the humans say, crazy?"

"As a bag of spanners," he replied.

The other eyebrow joined its fellow.

"Indeed, but you seem lucid enough."

"I never said all of the time."

He was getting bored now, and let out a sigh.

"Get to the point, or I might just forget my manners and prove that Ilusian steel is not as strong as you think."

He made the threat as blatant as possible; Serasian's preferred directness.

"As you wish. We are in the stimulant business."

"You're drug dealers."

The two Serasians seemed affronted.

"We are chemists, not tawdry pedlars."

The Doctor ignore their indignant tones, "So, why are you here and what do you want with me?"

"We have been hired to find the next designer narcotic."

"But why Earth….."

He stopped as the cogs began to turn…then it came to him.

"You're syphoning something from humans."

He went silent again, mind working overtime on what humans had that…...

"Adrenaline, you're syphoning adrenaline."

He then narrowed his eyes and said in a matter-of-fact tone that was anything but.

"You were going to try and use my superior biology to keep them alive a little longer. Well, that wouldn't have worked."

"Perhaps, but we are flexible."

The one that was speaking reached out and pushed some unseen button, and the restraints clicked open.

He wasted no time in sitting up, and ignored the urge to reach out and snap their necks.

"Are you proposing a business partnership?" he said.

"We are willing to negotiate."

"On what?"

"Our method of collecting the hormone is taking too long."

He blinked and then it dawned on him.

"The Lakesh, you're using the Lakesh," he growled.

If the Serasians were perturbed by his growled words, they didn't show it.

"Yes, but it is proving uneconomical, as the human tend to die within hours of capture."

"Well yeah, too much adrenaline will kill them. They literally die of fright."

"So we found out."

He thought for a minute, then smiled.

"What it I could give you something, something way better than adrenaline."

"Go on."

A while later he was showing them something on the computer.

"This will bring your employers far more profit."

"But it's just a powder."

"Not just a powder. This stuff is highly addictive, and trust me, this doesn't exist outside of this planet. I know from fist hand experience how addictive to other species it can be."

"What is it called again?"

"Heroin."


	15. Chapter 15

Jack could only watch as Flat Holm burnt, razed to the ground by the Fire Starter. That in itself would constitute a major problem; the Fire Starter was a psychotic arsonist, that didn't need matches to set fires.

There was something far more dangerous to think about. He had no doubt that the Doctor had something to do with it, which meant two psychopaths were in the control of someone who was either very dangerous, or very stupid…or worse, both.

He knew he was in trouble; he'd had that phone call.

Now he was standing in the PM's office, having his ears scorched by one very angry Prime Minister.

"You, Captain Harkness, are in a heap of trouble. I have the President and a whole gaggle of four-star generals in my ear, all of them wanting your backside nailed to the wall. So, Captain, and don't lie to me, when were you going to tell me that you had taken the Doctor out of Torchwood and onto a murder inquiry?"

He didn't even have time to answer before the PM spoke again, "So, tell me and I want some good news. Do you know where the Time Lord and the Fire Starter are?"

* * *

Smoke rose above the trees and drifted on the breeze. Nearby observers didn't go to investigate, they knew what was happening. It didn't matter to them, one drug lord was very much like another drug lord; they still served the same master.

The Doctor let out an irritated sigh as the gunmen shouted insults at him. He only blinked when another burst of gunfire kicked up vegetation nearby.

He glanced over to the figure on his left and said, "If you don't mind."

A wall of flame suddenly swept across the ground, and the gunfire stopped.

"Well, that was annoying," he said.

A few minutes later a vehicle drove over the smouldering remains of what had been a heroin refinery.

"Are you sure this will get their attention?"

"Absolutely, now that we've destroyed two of their refineries."

"And how long will we have to wait?"

"Not long…in fact, I can hear them now. I hope your soldiers are ready."

* * *

The heavy gates to the house weren't much of a problem; not since he'd once again put his control skills to good use; humans really were like ants, they'd follower the leader until death...with the right stimuli. Once again he thanked Koschei for bringing that talent out.

He now had a sizeable armed force, and soon he would be ready to rid himself of the Serasians, and put his own plans into action.

Yes, he had his own plans, but for that he needed money and power…well, more power to achieve it. If he got this right, he would have his sons back and then get something back that should never been sent away…oh and the Earth ground under his heel.

He walked onto a well- manicured lawn, the Fire Starter at his shoulder. His small army was ranged out behind him, and the two Serasians behind them all.

"Senor, I suggest surrender…not that I mind a bit of senseless carnage. But what do you value more, your wealth or your life!?" he called out

There was no answer, he sighed and said to one of the armed men.

"Do what you have to."

Several hour later he was showing the Serasians the vast amount of wealth this particular drug-baron had accumulated.

He left them to study the figures and work out how much profit they could make, and he made one phone call

He watched from a nearby clearing as the house was invaded by narcotics officers. He smiled and snapped his fingers and the Fire Starter, who was now his second-in-command, handed him a PDA and he tapped the screen.

"I believe those millions are mine. Time to leave…move!"

A small convoy of vehicles moved off, kicking up dirt as it went…and ignorant world not knowing what was coming its way.


	16. Chapter 16

Jack walked into the Hub, and he wasn't in the best of moods. It was bad enough he'd had the Doctor snatched from right under his nose; but he'd just had his ears chewed off by the Prime Minister.

Now he'd been given a direct order…find the Time Lord and the Fire Starter and hand them over. This time he knew he had no option.

The minute he reached the central area, he began barking orders.

"Ianto, contact that hacker guy. Whoever took them, needs them for something, there's bound to be chatter. Pay him as much as he asks."

"Jack, you don't think it's him…White Coat?" Gwen asked.

"No, I checked, he's still locked away. No, this is someone new…hell, they may not even know what they've got."

"What if it's connected to what happened in London?" Ianto said.

That stopped Jack; he hadn't thought of that. If it was, then it made it much worse. Then it hit him, if there was alien involvement, it came under his remit.

Hold everything," he said. "Ianto, get me the PM's Private Secretary."

The conversation that followed was short and precise, as Jack asserted his authority.

"Because we believe that there was alien involvement, this case now falls into our domain. Any interference by any other department, domestic or foreign will be dealt with in a whichever way I see fit to use. These will of course be within the parameters set out by Her Royal Majesty Queen Victoria, in the original Torchwood Charter."

There was silence for a moment, then Jack spoke again.

"I'm sorry sir, but the Charter does give me a higher authority, as no doubt your Private Secretary is showing you right now. If it's alien, then it's ours. Of course, I will keep you informed, when I feel it is relevant."

He hung up and turned back to the others.

"Let's find them, because I don't think the Doctor will be anyone prisoner for long."

His words, if he'd known, had been prophetic.

* * *

As Jack was speaking, the Doctor's small army was rampaging its way through another drug-lords territory.

But he wasn't with them, he was certain he could rely on his faithful soldiers to follow his commands. He wasn't interested in the narcotics, no he was interested in what lay underneath their fields and refineries.

He had far greater plans than becoming a drug baron.

He'd been a fool to believe the humans when they said he was unwell and needed help…well that would never happen again. From now on he would trust only one person, and if what he had planned worked, that person would soon be here with him.

But for now he had another goal, and he was oh so close to achieving it.

He supressed a laugh as he watched a certain person walking…. he had no idea he was here.

That person had two very precious…well three, if you counted the TARDIS things. He closed his eyes and reached out…there, shining bright was Jakaar and flickering away in the background was James.

He turned to his now constant companion.

"Are you ready?"

His companion nodded.

"Good, then when it gets dark, set this city on fire."


	17. Chapter 17

Ash watched Jakaar play with James, he'd hated bringing the boys here; but Jack had said it was for their own safety. But who was Jack protecting them from, the Americans or their own mother?

Ash was pretty sure that Jack was protecting them from the Doctor; which he supposed he could understand. However, his own mind was not so certain; he couldn't fathom the Doctor's behaviour.

The Doctor's attitude to him had at first been indifference, then outright anti-social. Then in the sewers when that thing had dragged him into the water, the Doctor had risked his life to save him.

But then it all gone south, with the attack of those overgrown wolves, and his Doctor was gone again. Then he'd been told that Jack had transferred him to Flat Holm, and Ash knew that whatever happened, the Doctor must have had something to do with it.

Then his concern for the boys had kicked in as it turned out that the Doctor had been abducted.

He moved away from the boys and went back to the central platform, back to listening to the chatter on the radio. He along with everyone else knew, that whoever had the Doctor wouldn't be able to keep him or control him for long, and like Jack, he knew exactly what the Doctor's first move would be; he would come for his sons.

He concentrated on the chatter, filtering out what he considered 'normal' and what wasn't important. He dismissed a 999 call about a fire, but perhaps he shouldn't have.

* * *

The fire seemed to be spreading, no matter what the fire crew did. It had started as an empty warehouse burning on the deserted dock area. Those in charge were tempted to let it burn itself out, but then inexplicably, the fire leapt to another warehouse…now it was threatening to spiral out of control.

Three warehouses were now burning and the police had stated looking on the docks for what they believed was an arsonist that was still there. Plus it was now attracting the press, and that made their job more difficult.

A shout went up as another building suddenly caught…and this one was way too close to the populated areas.

Then the worst news came, one of bars on the waterfront was on fire.

Now fire crews from other towns were involved; the arsonist or arsonists were winning the battle.

The decision was made to evacuate the waterfront…and that was when it spiralled out of control, and it came to the attention of Captain Jack Harkness.

* * *

"Jack, we have a problem," Ianto said.

Jack looked up, "What kind of a problem?"

"There's a fire."

"So, what's the problem?"

"The whole of the old docks are on fire."

Jack still couldn't see the problem; it was a big fire, but not their problem.

"There's also multiple fires on the waterfront."

That got his attention.

"What are they saying about it?"

"They think it's an arsonist….more than one."

Ianto turned and looked at Jack, and Jack could see the same thought on Ianto's face.

Jack reached for his coat, and the rest of them knew….he was here.

"Ash, take the boys and put them down in my room and dead lock it."

"It's him," Ash said and Jack nodded.

"I'll stay," Ash said.

"Are you sure?" Jack said.

Ash nodded.

"If it is him and he gets past you, I'm the only one who might be able to reason with him."

Jack moved closer and said quietly, "Ash, can you do it, if you have to?"

Ash looked him in the eyes.

"If I have to, I will."

Jack wasn't sure that he believed Ash, but time was against him, as his phone rang.

"Captain Harkness."

"Major Mogambo, how may I help?"

"Don't play coy with me. Would you care to step outside, since Cardiff seems to be on fire?"

"We'll be out in a moment."

* * *

The Doctor stood on the roof of the only building that wasn't a target of the Fire Starter He was using the building as his personal viewing point.

He looked out at the buildings that were burning; he loved a good old fashioned razing. He brought his binoculars up and looked over at the Plas…and then smiled.

"Oh look," he said to the Fire Starter "Look at the pretty toy soldiers. It seems UNIT have joined the party. Oh well, the more the merrier."

Then he saw him and he snarled. He turned to the Fire Starter and said.

"Enough playing. I want you and the others to keep UNIT and Harkness busy. I'll give you the signal when I have what I want."

The Fire Starter said nothing, he rarely did, but the Doctor knew he understood.

They left their vantage point and went into the chaos below. The Fire Starter then left the Doctor's side and as he moved off, other men joined him, armed men…and the panic level in the people around them increased.

The Doctor paid no heed to it, he was entirely focused on one thing. He stopped just short of the Plas, as he saw Harkness and the others talking with that major from UNIT.

He counted to ten and then gunfire filled the air, and the UNIT soldiers, along with Harkness' little band moved in the direction of it. He smiled…some traps were easier to spring than others.

But he wasn't going to be too overconfident, he hadn't missed the fact that Ash was missing from the little band; which meant he must still be inside.

He smiled again, but there was no mirth in the smile, it was the smile of a predator.

* * *

Ash didn't like the way things were going outside. He'd been listening to the increasing sense of panic from the authorities, and then it had gone silent; no doubt at the order of UNIT.

The fact that UNIT were here put the last nail in the coffin of doubt he'd had….the Doctor was here, and causing carnage.

He looked away from the screen he was looking at when he thought he heard a noise, it was probably nothing.

Then he heard it again.

He got up and drew his weapon and went towards the sound. He stopped after a few feet, the hairs on his neck raising.

Then a voice came out of the shadows.

"Now that's no way to say hello."


	18. Chapter 18

"If you're looking for your sons, they're not here," Ash said, hoping the lie didn't show in his voice.

"Please, lying will only make it worse," the Doctor's voice came out of the shadow.

Ash felt decidedly unsafe; he didn't like the fact that he couldn't see the Doctor. He knew damn well that the Doctor could project his voice.

"If you're so sure I'm lying, why don't you come out of the shadows and tell me to my face?"

"Now where would the fun be in that? Besides, I'm sure the good Captain has set a few sneaky little….ah, there's one. Oh, now that's not very nice, that one's illegal on at least thirty planets."

There was silence and then a clang as something metal hit the floor.

"That's one…how many more, I wonder. Seems to me that someone's going to a lot of trouble to protect nothing."

"Standard procedure," Ash said, trying to locate the direction the Doctor's voice was coming from.

A low chuckle echoed around the hub, and the ring of footsteps on metal…somewhere above.

"There's nothing standard about anything the Captain does…oops, nearly walked right into that one. Now that one would have stung a little."

Another clang and the sound of something being crushed.

"Now, this really is trying my patience," the Doctor said, this time the voice came from behind Ash.

He turned and moved back, not wanting the Doctor to get the advantage.

"Like I said, they're not here, why would they be here?"

Ash tried not to react when the Doctor laughed again. There was no humour in the sound; just the threat of violence.

"I'm disappointed in you, Ash. I expect Harkness and his little band of merry idiots to lie to me, but you…"

There was the sound of footsteps again, still from above….the Doctor was toying with him.

"And another one…now that one is just plain insulting."

This time the offending article landed a few feet away from Ash and he couldn't help jumping.

Then the Doctor appeared out of the shadows.

"Do you people really think I'm an idiot as well as a mad man?"

The Doctor moved again and Ash tried not to react when he moved far too close.

"As I said, lying will only make it worse…for you."

"I'm not lying," Ash said. He had to keep up the pretence; he needed time to think.

The Doctor moved again, and this time he only stopped when he was inches away from him.

The Doctor leant forward, took in a breath and then exhaled.

"You stink of lies, Ash," he said into Ash's ear. "Now, where are my sons?"

The Doctor's breath was hot on his neck, and his proximity was intoxicating.

"I still remember that night in that hostelry. It felt so good, the way you held me…the way you touched me."

Ash felt his pulse quicken, as a hand was placed on his face and then trailed down his neck.

"We can have that again…the pleasure."

Ash's felt his breath hitch as lips met the flesh of his neck. A rush of pleasure shot through him….god, he'd forgotten how exotic and exhilarating the Doctor was.

A flash of heat passed through him, when the Doctor pressed himself up against him.

"Join me, Ash," the Doctor breathed.

"I c-can't," he stammered.

"Why?" the Doctor said in that low seductive voice that Ash couldn't resist.

"Is it loyalty to Captain Harkness? Do you think he deserves your loyalty?"

Ash found himself shaking his head.

"Do you think I deserve your loyalty…your love?

Ash knew he should say no…but.

"Yes," he breathed.

"Yes," the doctor repeated. "Now, where are my sons?"

He watched with a smile as the Doctor was reunited with his sons.

"We should go," the Doctor said.

* * *

"You need to pull your men back, Major," Jack said. "He won't think twice about burning them to death."

"And you think you can handle him?" the Major said.

"We caught him before, we'll do it again."

"And what about the Doctor?"

"If he does get inside Torchwood…the traps will stop him."

Both of them flinched when the building in front of them suddenly started to collapse.

Jack's com beeped and he was expecting either Ianto or Gwen to speak. But what he got was a very familiar voice, but not necessarily a wanted voice.

"Nice try, captain…but really? Plus, using my ex-lover to guard my children. You're slipping."

"Doctor, don't do this. You need help, let me help you."

"I don't need your help. I'll say goodbye as things are getting a little warm here."

"No…wait…" Jack started to say, but was cut off by the Doctor.

"Next time we meet, it will be far less civil."

His com beeped again and there was silence. He'd lost, and there was nothing to keep the Doctor in check now.

He turned to the Major, who said.

"This is just the beginning isn't it?"

* * *

The Doctor looked down at the chaos he'd orchestrated…a nice little warning for the world…for Harkness.

He turned to the ever present Fire Starter and said three words…

"Begin the war."


	19. Chapter 19

The base was so secret, that only a few within the black-ops world knew of it….well, that and the Time Lord, whose armed men were now tearing it apart.

"Find it," the Doctor snarled.

They were looking for a door that led to a vault; the vault contained something the Doctor wanted. He tried not to laugh, did they really think they could hide alien tech from another alien?

But of course there wasn't a sign saying uber-secret vault this way; hence the tearing apart thing.

He heard gunfire from above, time was running out. He needed just a little more time. He reached into his pocket and brought a small metal cube.

He placed it on the wall and said, "Activate."

The object beeped once and tendrils began to grow from it, and dig into the wall. It grew upwards and through the ceiling. He carried on walking, and seconds later the screaming began.

"You have an extra thirty minutes. If you don't find that door, I will leave you to the mercies of my little device!"

The screams coming from above seemed to galvanise his men, as five minutes later a shout went up.

The Doctor strode out of the lift and into the vault. There were no humans here, but it was still a high security storage area. He walked down the metal racks, ignoring whatever was stored on them.

He did stop by one shelf and read the glyphs on the box.

"I'll have that," he said. "And that."

He found more that took his eye and then he came to the thing he'd really came for.

It was in an innocuous looking case, with no writing…the humans obviously had no idea as to what the object inside was. If they did they would have buried so deep, that even he couldn't retrieve it.

He took the box off the shelf and he could feel it, and he had no doubt it could feel him. The lock was easily broken and he looked at the object inside with wide-eyed wonder.

He resisted the desire to touch it and closed the box.

"Now we leave," he said.

* * *

Jack watched as another body was placed inside a bio-hazard unit. He hated wearing bio-hazard suits, but whatever had killed these soldiers was something that even he hadn't been exposed to.

He had no doubt as to what had happened…the Doctor had happened.

It would have been risky for the Doctor to come here, so there must have been something here that he wanted. He knew this base held alien-tech, but surely not anything that would interest the Time Lord, but then again, he wasn't privy to all of the inventory.

His com beeped and a voice said.

"Whatever it is, it wasn't airborne or passed on by touch. The air and surfaces are clean."

"Thank you, Doctor Jones," he replied and with some relief shucked the suit off, and he could tell that Ianto and Gwen were glad to be rid of the suits too.

He turned to Ianto, "I want a full inventory of what was stored here. If they quote national security, quote planetary security at them."

"Yes, sir," Ianto said and walked off in the direction of a group of uniformed men.

"Right, let's go see Martha."

* * *

Martha hadn't been happy with Jack's decision to transfer the doctor to Flat Holm, and she'd returned to UNIT, telling Jack it was a huge mistake. When she'd been told about the destruction of Flat Holm, she knew she'd been right.

Not that she'd wanted to be right…not now she was examining some poor soul that had suffered at the hands of a weapon that had come from the twisted mind of a very disturbed Doctor.

The black veins reminded her of the Riechenstien Virus, but the victim's eyes were clear. But that didn't mean it wasn't some kind of hybrid.

There was no doubt that their deaths had been painful; it was written on their faces, but she doubted they'd even had time to scream. Whatever it was looked like it had invaded every part of their body, inside and out.

No-one had been infected or showed symptoms of any attack since she'd arrived; so whatever it was had become inert or died.

She broke away from the depressing work as she saw Jack and Gwen approaching.

"Any ideas of what killed them?"Jjack asked.

She shook her head, "This is the Doctor we're talking about. He could have engineered a simple cold and turned it into this. But we need to stop him, Jack, this thing looks like it was contained inside here. What if he lets something like this lose on the wider population?"

Jack didn't reply straight away.

"I don't think it was intended for wider use. I think it was more of a grenade."

"Why?"

"Breaking in here would have triggered a full military response. He would have what, fifteen minutes before he had half the army on his ass."

"He used it to buy more time," Gwen said.

Jack nodded and Martha could see that he wasn't happy.

"It's a bloody mess, that's what it is. Why do I get the feeling it won't be the last time he'll do this?"

They were interrupted by Ianto, who gave Jack the inventory.

"You were right, they weren't happy. But planetary security seemed to motivate them."

Jack scrolled through the list…most of it was tech that the Doctor would have considered beneath him. But then he came across one item that had any ID blacked out.

He pointed to it and said, "This…get me the person in charge. I want to know what this is."

* * *

"When will mother be back?" Jakaar asked.

Ash looked up from his work; this was the third time he'd been asked.

"When he should be…now, please Jakaar, concentrate on your studies. You know your mother will test you on it."

Ash shook his head as the boy went back to his studies. The Doctor had been gone longer than expected….not that he was worried. Well, a little bit worried.

He hated being stuck in the Doctor's version of what some of the men had nick-named 'The Bat-Cave.'

It really wasn't a cave, more like a series of caverns, linked by tunnels dug by long dead hands, and then widened and smoothed out by another of the Doctor's 'creations.'

He was trying to study the plans of their next target. It was going to be a much harder target that the one that was no doubt being decimated.

This time he was going to go with the Doctor, since he knew the tech that was there.

A squeal of delight from James made him look up again, and then Jakaar dropped his book and said.

"Mother's back."

Ash smiled and lifted James off the floor and followed Jakaar.

They arrived just as the Doctor was stepping out of an RV. James let out another squeal and wriggled to be free of his arms.

He put him down and none of the armed men took any notice of the small child as he ran towards and through them. But they did pay attention to the older child that walked behind him.

Some of them saluted Ash as he passed them, but his focus was on the Doctor.

He had scooped up James and had a hand on Jakaar's head, silent communication passing between them.

After a few moments he put James down and one of the female staff appeared and took the boys away.

Only then did Ash approach.

"You look tired," he said, noting the smoke and other things that dirtied the Doctor's clothes and skin. "And filthy."

The Doctor quirked and eyebrow at him and replied.

"And you look…edible."


	20. Chapter 20

"So, what's in this place that you want? It can't be that crashed X-50," Ash said.

The Doctor looked away from staring at the military base in the distance.

"It's not what I'm after, but I would like that prototype. It'll be a new toy to play with."

"If we can steal it, but you haven't brought any men with you."

"Sometimes you need a scalpel and not a butcher's knife," the Doctor replied, now looking back at the base. "Hand me the rucksack."

Ash swung the bag off his shoulder, and handed it to the Doctor. He shuddered when the Doctor removed the contents. He remembered these metal arachnids, and their sting.

He took a step back as the Doctor activated each one, and they jumped from his hand a scuttled a few yards away.

The Doctor looked at the little group and said, "You know what to do…go."

Ash let out a sigh of relief when the metal shapes scuttled off into the dark.

"Make you nervous, do they?" the Doctor asked. He put a hand on Ash's cheek.

"Don't worry, you will never feel their bite again."

* * *

The Doctor had stepped out of the RV, and he looked for his sons. The small figure of James appeared between the legs of his men. He could see Jakaar, moving with more dignity.

He was pleased to see the way his men gave him some space; he was learning fast.

"That was well done, you've been practicing."

"I want to be as good as you, mother," Jakaar said in his mind.

"In time, young one. Now, it's time for you and your brother to be in bed."

He watched as his sons were taken away, and he vowed that no-one would separate them again.

Then he saw Ash, and his thoughts turned decidedly un-parental.

Now they were about to steal the final part he needed; then he would rain down destruction. But war on earth wasn't his true goal…just a personal piece of revenge.

If this all went to plan, what he'd been building in his laboratory would…..not the things he would use to bring war, but the machine he was building to bring him back to Earth.

There was risk, wasn't there always; this was why he needed the war…as a distraction for the humans.

He pushed those thoughts to one side, he really should be concentrating on the now.

A slight tickle in his mind told him his little friends had breached and taken over the base security. It had been a wise decision to implant the organic material in his toys.

He was about to say to Ash that it was time to move, when an image was flashed in his mind…..what?

He couldn't stop the snarl escaping, which caused Ash to look at him.

"Doctor?"

"He's here," he growled.

"Who?"

"Harkness."

* * *

"And I'm telling you, you should at least be on a Level Three alert."

"Captain Harkness, we have nothing here that this Doctor would want."

"Bullshit, this is a Level Ten base. You have nothing but the things the Doctor would want. That X-50 sitting in Hangar Six for a start, not to mention what you have on level twelve."

"How do you know about Level Twelve?"

"Torchwood, and if we know, then it's pretty certain that the Doctor knows."

As the words left Jack's mouth, an alarm echoed through the hangar, just as a soldier ran in and threw a quick salute.

"Sir, there's a breach."

"Where?"

"Hangar Six."

Jack looked at the Major; a 'told you so' look, before setting off at a run, not towards Hangar Six, but to the building that housed Level Twelve.

* * *

"I thought the idea was to be subtle!" Ash shouted over the alarm.

"He's here," was the reply he got.

"Doctor, we have to ignore that and get what we came for."

The Doctor whipped round and Ash took a step back; he didn't like the look in those eyes.

"You concentrate on the X-50, one of the spiders will help you. I am going to get what I want, but I'm also going on a little Torchwood hunt."

Ash knew he couldn't argue, so he turned and ran for Hangar Six. That had been five minutes ago, and now he was running out of time.

The X-50 wasn't exactly in working order and he could hear the soldiers trying to open the hangar doors. He tried not to flinch when he heard the metal click of the spider. He hated the things, and he didn't look it in its red eyes…and it felt weird talking to it.

"Check the binary circuit."

A few seconds later a light told him it was working.

"Power up."

There was a whine, but then nothing. He quickly ran through the checks again…the external drive coupling wasn't working.

"Dammit," he said; it meant he had to go outside.

"Keep that circuit open," he instructed and jumped out of the fighter.

He looked over at the door; it wouldn't hold for much longer. He ran under the X-50 and popped one of the hatches…it was a mess.

He didn't have time to fix it properly, so he fiddled with wires and managed to twist them together. A spark told him it was working, but now it should be.

He shut the hatch again and ducked under one of the wings. He was about to step into the X-50, when a voice said.

"Don't move, Ash…please."


	21. Chapter 21

"Don't move, Ash…please," the voice said.

Ash turned and there was Gwen, with several soldiers, her weapon trained on him.

"What are you doing?" she said. "Has he got you doing his dirty work for him?"

"It's nothing I wouldn't do," he replied and put one foot on the small ladder.

"No Ash," she said.

"Are you going to shoot me, Gwen?"

"If I have to."

In the corner of his eye, he saw the metallic glint that meant the spider had registered the presence of the others. There was another glint of metal; it must have called for help.

"If I were you, Gwen, I would let me take this and go."

"I can't do that," she said.

"Seriously, you should. It would be beneficial to your health. There are some nasty things that can bite around here."

He hoped she would get the hint.

"I can't let you go, I have my orders."

He could sense the spiders now, sense they were about to strike.

"Gwen, you really should."

Two shots rang out and Ash heard metal shattering.

"Then it's a good thing I brought some pest control with me. Now, step away Ash, or they will put you down."

Ash let out a sigh and stepped away from the X-50; he wouldn't be captive for long.

* * *

Jack, Ianto and the Major entered level twelve.

"Be on your toes," Jack whispered.

They moved together, going up the numbered aisles, towards the aisle the thing the Doctor was after was stored.

They got a far as aisle nine, when they heard a metallic clicking.

"Please. Not them," Jack said. "Spiders."

"Spiders?" the Major asked.

"Nasty things…metallic spider. Uses some sort of neuro -toxin to kill, but can also hack into any computer system," Ianto said.

"Basically, they're killers," Jack said, then held up a hand for silence.

"The problem is, they never work alone."

Ianto touched Jack's arm and gestured with his head.

Jack looked up and saw a pair of red eyes; they knew they were here.

"Don't make any sudden movements, nice and slow."

The pair of eyes moved, and that chilling scuttling noise filled the air. They froze as it came out of the shadows, the click of its metal legs loud in the silence.

It crawled down the side of the shelving and stopped, right next to the Major's head.

One of its legs extended and twitched like a feeler. Its reaction was sudden; it drew back on its remaining legs and launched itself, latching onto the Major's neck.

"Move!" Jack yelled to Ianto as more skittering started.

He couldn't think about the major; he had to think about Ianto.

They sprinted down the aisle, the sound of the spider behind them.

A small shape narrowly missed Jack, as instinct told him to slow slightly…another one. He skidded to a halt, Ianto just behind him. In the silence they could hear multiple noises…how many of these things were there.

Jack realised they couldn't move, and this many spiders meant the Doctor must be near, so he called out.

"You won't get out of here. The whole base is on alert, and there's no need to keep quiet, your little friends tell me you're here."

He wasn't sure if he was going to get an answer, but a voice came from…somewhere.

* * *

"Why is it, I always find you at the centre of any trouble I get? I really will have to a way of killing you…permanently."

"You've said that before," Jack replied, trying to pinpoint the Doctor's voice.

"True, but sometimes you need a little motivation. Oh, and I see you brought my favourite toy….how considerate."

The scuff of shoe on flooring made both of them turn. That was deliberate, Jack thought. He's letting them know where he is…why?

It took a few seconds for Jack to realise that he wouldn't.

There was a muffled sound of alarm from behind him…Ianto. He span round…what the hell?

Ianto was in the grip of the major; who should have been dead.

"I don't waste assets," the Doctor's voice came again. "Major, if you don't mind."

The major spoke into his com. "All personnel, the Torchwood people are imposters. Disarm and detain. I need a squad on level twelve…double time."

"Thank you major…any second now. Ah, is the sound of boots at double time."

Jack tired not to be startled when the Doctor appeared…he'd bee that close, and yet it had sounded like he was in the distance.

He had a box in his hands and that look on his face…distaste.

"Captain, I won't say it's been a pleasure."

He then ignore Jack and paid attention to Ianto, who was still in the grip of the major.

"And as for you…oh, if I only had the time. B-u-t, I do have a timetable."

Jack found himself being pushed ahead of the soldiers, but behind the Doctor, as they walked towards hangar six.

The door was already opening, and the Doctor strolled in, looking for the world that he was in charge; which he was.

"Is it ready to go?" the Doctor asked Ash

"As good as it's going to be. It'll outrun anything they send after us," Ash replied.

"Good, you've done well," he said and kissed Ash.

"Doctor, why are you doing this?" Jack said.

"The clock is ticking, Jack. Tick….tick."

"Whatever it is, it won't happen. You don't have an army of fanatics behind you."

The smile he got in return, didn't fill him with confidence.

"We shall see…I have just one question and please, if you lie, I'll have the major shoot your little team. Tell me, Jack…where is the TARDIS?"


End file.
